Ibrahim Maza: Messi's favourite unknown wonderkid

Lionel Messi put Ibrahim Maza third on his Kopa Trophy ballot, behind Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí. What did he see in the Bayer Leverkusen attacker? Ronan Murphy traces Maza’s rise from Hertha Berlin to Leverkusen, his decision to represent Algeria and how he’s handled comparisons with Florian Wirtz. We also look at how his €12m move compares with his €61.7m estimated transfer value, and why Atlético Madrid, AC Milan and Newcastle United come out on top in the SciSports club fit ratings. Where would you like to see Maza play next? Let us know in the comments, and subscribe to FootballTransfers for more player profiles and transfer analysis. Website: https://www.footballtransfers.com Instagram:   / transfer_centre   Facebook:   / footballtransferrumours   TikTok:   / footballtransfersdotcom   X: https://x.com/Transfersdotcom 00:00 Messi Picks Maza 00:58 Origins and International Switch 01:26 Algeria Breakout 02:29 Hertha to Leverkusen 03:06 Handling the Wirtz Comparisons 03:25 His Hot Start at Leverkusen 03:58 Rising Valuation and Transfer Talk 05:08 Best Club Fits and What’s Next 06:15 Wrap-Up and Q&A #IbrahimMaza #LionelMessi #BayerLeverkusen #KopaTrophy #FootballTransfers