Algerian Ibrahim Maza, a Bayer Leverkusen player, received a single point in the voting for the season’s Best Young Player award. The point came from Argentine star Lionel Messi, who included Maza in his top-three selection of players under the age of 21.
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Lionel Messi caused a surprise by including Ibrahim Maza, a player of Vietnamese descent, in his list of the three best young talents in the world for the 2026 Kopa Trophy selection.