Ibrahim Maza has become one of the Bundesliga’s best footballers through pure talent and remarkable resilience. Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly pursuing him.
Progress at Hertha
Maza grew up in Berlin and joined Hertha at the age of ten. He often started on the bench during the first half of his under-17 year and became a regular only in the second half. Bence Dardai and Noel Aseko attracted considerably more attention at the time. Pal Dardai, who coached Maza in Hertha’s under-16s, warned him: "'If you carry on being this lazy, you won't achieve anything at all,'"
Oliver Reiß, now Manchester City’s under-21 coach, coached Maza during his second under-17 year at Hertha. Reiß recalled on the Denkfabrik Nachwuchsfußball podcast: “He didn’t come into the under-17s as the sought-after top talent.” He and assistant Oliver Schröder soon noticed a difference, with Reiß saying: “We noticed that he somehow did different things with the ball,” and adding, “but it was clear relatively early on that he had something special.” Reiß also said Maza was “a long way from letting the game happen to him” when facing adversity. Maza said in a 2024 interview on Hertha’s website: “I made my biggest step forward under him.”
Leverkusen breakthrough
Maza made his Bundesliga debut at 17 in April 2023, coming on in Hertha’s 0-2 defeat against Bayern Munich. A meniscus injury then kept him out for a long time. After returning and spending a year and a half as an established member of Hertha’s senior squad, he joined Leverkusen in 2025. Bayer paid €12 million for the 19-year-old, who faced the task of helping replace Florian Wirtz after his move to Liverpool FC.
Now in his second Leverkusen season, Maza has recorded eight goal contributions in 14 appearances: four goals and four assists. His contract runs until 2030. In an RTL interview, he said: “I feel good with the ball; we’re good friends. It’s a great feeling to have a ball at my feet. I try to be at one with the ball.” In the 2-4 Bundesliga defeat against VfB Stuttgart on Halloween, his work in tight spaces prompted DAZN commentator Jan Platte to say: “If Ronaldinho had been in the stadium, he would have come down and given him his crown. That was unbelievable.”
Kopa Trophy recognition and PSG interest
Maza’s 2025/26 performances earned him a Kopa Trophy nomination. Lionel Messi has a vote for the award and included Maza alongside Barcelona players Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi in his top three. Maza said: “To be chosen by Lionel Messi is, of course, a great honour. It gives you an extra dose of motivation when someone like Messi says you’ve got something.” Asked whether he wanted to win the Ballon d’Or, he replied: “That has always been a dream of mine.”
Paris Saint-Germain reportedly rate the 20-year-old so highly that the Champions League winners want him at all costs. According to Bild, VfB Stuttgart and Germany striker Deniz Undav reportedly called out to Maza after the match against Leverkusen at the end of October: “Go to Paris, mate, I don’t want to play against you any more!” Undav later said on Sky: “In Maza, Leverkusen have an outstanding player. He opens up space and wins duels.”
Choosing Algeria
Maza was born to an Algerian father and a Vietnamese mother, grew up in Berlin and could have represented Algeria, Vietnam or Germany. He wore the DFB shirt from under-18 to under-20 level. Maza said: “I love all three countries and, in the end, made my decision for various reasons, those are private.” He told Bild: “I wanted to be able to play for a senior national team as early as possible and make as many appearances as possible for the national side as a professional.”
In October 2024, about a month and a half before his 19th birthday, Maza made his Algeria debut. He has since made 24 international appearances. At the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco around the turn of 2025 to 2026, he was among Algeria’s best players and was dubbed “Mazadona” by an Algerian outlet. At the World Cup, Switzerland eliminated Algeria in the round of 32 with a 0-2 victory, while Argentina beat Algeria 0-3 in the group stage and Messi scored a hat-trick.
