“A great honour” – Maza delighted after receiving Messi’s Kopa Trophy vote

Bayer Leverkusen's promising young talent, Ibrahim Maza, expressed immense pride after receiving Lionel Messi's Kopa Trophy vote. The 20-year-old Algerian international finished ninth in the Kopa Trophy rankings at the prestigious Ballon d'Or ceremony, which honors the world's best player under the age of 21. Messi, the Argentine legend, was the sole voter who contributed to Maza's ranking among his top three choices, alongside fellow FC Barcelona talents Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí.

Maza, speaking after Leverkusen's 2-4 Bundesliga loss to VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, acknowledged that the recognition from a player of Messi's caliber filled him with a sense of honor. He stated, "I wanted to focus on the game first and tried to put it out of my mind. But then a few messages came through. It's a great honour to receive recognition or be voted for by a player like that."

Despite scoring his fourth goal of the season against Stuttgart, Maza's efforts were not sufficient to prevent Leverkusen from suffering defeat.