Lionel Messi Goes Against All Other Ballon d’Or Winners With Best Young Player Vote

Lionel Messi bucked the trend by voting for Bayer Leverkusen’s talented attacking midfielder Ibrahim Maza while ranking the best young players on the planet.

Unlike the senior prize, which is naturally in the best possible hands (of journalists), the Kopa Trophy dished out to the best U-21 player over the previous 12 months is exclusively decided by former Ballon d’Or winners. Twenty-seven different past champions named their top three—Cristiano Ronaldo was one of only three living title holders who abstained from voting—but Messi was the only one to name Maza on his podium.

The former Barcelona icon didn’t stray entirely from home, picking Lamine Yamal in first and Pau Cubarsí second to mirror the final standings of the votes, but there was intriguingly room for Maza.

Lionel Messi’s Top Three in Kopa Trophy Voting

Lamine Yamal
Pau Cubarsí
Ibrahim Maza

Who Is Ibrahim Maza?

Ibrahim Maza poses upon their arrival to attend the 2026 Ballon d’Or. — Ibrahim Maza enjoyed his moment in the spotlight. | FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

Plenty will be familiar with Maza. After all, this is a player with 12 Champions League appearances under his belt and a regular in Bayer Leverkusen’s first team since he left Hertha BSC for the Rhine region in 2025. Yet, his star is only just starting to shine.

Less than 18 months ago, Maza was still playing in Germany’s second tier. Over the summer, he was playing against Messi in the World Cup.

It’s not clear if Argentina’s captain had been familiar with Maza’s box of tricks before his nation’s opening game of the international jamboree and, in truth, his showing across 82 minutes was not the fullest representation of his talent. At his best, Maza is a sinewy nuisance, wriggling around the pitch with the freedom to drift wherever he wishes from his velvety throne in Leverkusen’s three-man midfield.

The deft flicks around the corner, burst of goals and low-slung socks have predictably led to comparisons with the No. 10 he replaced at Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz.

“I don’t like being compared like that,” Maza sniffed. “He became the most expensive signing in the Premier League, and I hope I can be at his level some day, but I’m not there yet.”

Ibrahim Maza is a star 🌟#UEL | @bayer04_en pic.twitter.com/nwXGzxwbiH
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) October 22, 2026

Maza, as Messi has recognized, is on his way. After chipping in with a respectable five goals and seven assists across his debut season at Leverkusen, the 20-year-old has already scored four times and set up another three.

There is a sense of freedom and naïvety to the way Maza plays, but that masks a clear cynicism. The Berlin-born midfielder opted to represent Algeria “purely for sporting reasons,” as he unromantically revealed.

“In the German national team, the competition for my position is extremely fierce, so it's tough to break into the starting XI or find space in that squad. From a sporting perspective, representing Algeria gives me a greater chance to play in the World Cup and compete at the highest level. That’s why I made this decision with full confidence.”

If Maza continues on this same trajectory, Germany may come to regret his decision.

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