Ninth in the 2026 Kopa Trophy and the first Algerian among the ten nominees, Ibrahim Maza received Lionel Messi’s only point. The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder also scored for his club, before the Algeria camp.
The 2026 Kopa Trophy has delivered its verdict, and it places an Algerian name on a list where none had ever appeared before. Ibrahim Maza, the 20-year-old attacking midfielder for Bayer Leverkusen and an Algeria international, finished ninth in the ranking, according to Jordan News. A place earned with a single point, from a very particular voter: Lionel Messi.
The player also found the back of the net for his club. His fourth goal of the season came in Leverkusen’s 2-4 defeat on the pitch at Stuttgart, reports Bulinews. Both stories come ahead of the Algeria national team camp, in the second week of November 2026, for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
A point signed Messi
In the details of the vote, the Argentine was the only voter to place Maza in his top three, behind Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí. That single choice was enough to send the Leverkusen man into ninth place. The Kopa Trophy jury is made up exclusively of former Ballon d’Or winners, vietnam.vn points out.
Asked by Kicker and quoted by Bulinews, the player himself described how he took the news: “I wanted to focus on the match first and try to put it aside. But then a few messages came in.” He added, in the same outlet: “It’s a great honour to receive that recognition or to be chosen by a player like that.”
A goal in defeat
On the pitch, Leverkusen lost 2-4 at Stuttgart, and it was in that defeat that the attacking midfielder scored his fourth goal of the season, according to Bulinews. An individual success that was not enough to avoid the loss.
To put the player’s progress in context, his first season in a Leverkusen shirt ended with five goals and seven assists in 44 matches, according to Jordan News. At 20, he already has four goals in the current campaign.
Roots and a precedent
Born in 2005 in Berlin to an Algerian father and a Vietnamese mother, Maza is highlighted by vietnam.vn, which recalls that dual heritage.
On the sporting side, the Algerian has already come up against Messi on a pitch: he featured in the 3-0 group-stage defeat to Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, Jordan News indicates. Messi’s vote therefore comes after that head-to-head.
Maza is also among the Algerian stand-out performers of the weekend, alongside Amoura and Chiakha, according to YSscores. The calendar then features a trip to Lomé to face Togo, followed by a home return match.