Lionel Messi placed Ibrahim Maza third in his Kopa Trophy vote, behind Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. The Bayer Leverkusen and Algeria midfielder received a single vote and took ninth place in a ranking of ten.
According to Football London, Lionel Messi, a former Ballon d’Or winner turned voter, placed Ibrahim Maza third on his Kopa Trophy ballot, behind Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. With that single vote, the attacking midfielder of Bayer Leverkusen and Algeria finished ninth among the ten nominees, a trophy awarded by former Ballon d’Or winners.
The 20-year-old did not hide his surprise: “I first wanted to focus on the match and try to forget about it, but then a few messages came in. It’s a great honour to receive such recognition or to be chosen by a player like that,” he told Football London. Messi’s choice came at the expense of Ayyoub Bouaddi, Eli Junior Kroupi, Johan Manzambi, Kerim Alajbegovic, Lennart Karl, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Yan Diomande.
Big English clubs on the lookout
The midfielder is also attracting interest from English clubs. According to Football London, Arsenal and Tottenham are tracking the player and have watched him this season, while Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester City and PSG are also monitoring him. Football London and TEAMtalk mention a valuation of £58 million.
A busy season
With Leverkusen, Maza has scored four goals and provided three assists in twelve matches in all competitions this season. With Algeria, he has played 16 consecutive matches since last winter’s AFCON and has 24 caps. He also played at the World Cup, marked by the 3-0 defeat to Argentina.
He also talks about his club when speaking of “Flo”, whom he describes as “an incredible player, a true Bayer Leverkusen legend”. “I’m still trying to follow my own path and be my own player,” he adds, acknowledging that “we are a bit different in our styles of play”.
The midfielder will turn 21 on 24 November. He could add two caps during the November international window, before that date.