At the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, Lamine Yamal won the Kopa Trophy for the best young player under 21. Lionel Messi included Bayer Leverkusen's Ibrahim Maza among his three choices, and GOAL reported that he was the only voter to name Maza on his ballot.
How Messi voted
French newspaper L'Équipe reported that Messi placed Yamal first, Pau Cubarsí second and Ibrahim Maza third in his Kopa Trophy vote.
Maza's place in the standings
That point left Maza ninth on the list. Maza is also the first Algerian player to make the ten-man shortlist for the Kopa Trophy.
The meeting noted by GOAL
GOAL said Messi and Maza crossed paths in the opening round of the group stage at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. GOAL said Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 in that match and Messi scored a hat-trick. GOAL also said Maza set up Farès Chaïbi for a goal that was ruled out for offside.
Maza's first-season numbers
Maza has played 44 matches in his first season with Bayer Leverkusen, scoring 5 goals and providing 7 assists.
