Lionel Messi has given Tottenham one more reason to keep watching Bayer Leverkusen, after ranking their 20-year-old Algeria playmaker third on his Kopa Trophy ballot, behind only Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi.
Ibrahim Maza finished ninth of the 10 nominees for the award, which is voted for by former Ballon d’Or winners, and the one vote he picked up came from Messi himself. That is not a bad vote to have.
According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham and Arsenal have both been tracking the midfielder and have watched him this season. Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be keeping an eye on him, so N17 is far from the only address in the conversation.
Who did Messi leave out?
Messi’s top three of Yamal, Cubarsi and Maza meant there was no place for Ayyoub Bouaddi, Eli Junior Kroupi, Johan Manzambi, Kerim Alajbegovic, Lennart Karl, Warren Zaire-Emery or Yan Diomande.
It is not the first time the Argentine has gone his own way. He also voted for Cubarsi and Yamal last year, with Desire Doue as his third pick. The year before that, Alejandro Garnacho joined the Barcelona pair in his top three, and in 2023 he went for Jamal Musiala and Pedri over Jude Bellingham.
Maza admitted the news reached him at an awkward moment, after Leverkusen’s defeat to Stuttgart on Saturday. He said: “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.”
What Ibrahim Maza is doing for Leverkusen and Algeria
Maza has been almost ever-present for Bayer Leverkusen this season, with four goals and three assists in a dozen appearances across all competitions.
He is just as settled for his country. He played for Algeria in their 3-0 defeat to Argentina at this summer’s World Cup, has played in 16 consecutive matches for them that goes back to last winter’s Africa Cup of Nations, and already has 24 caps. He could add two more before he turns 21 on 24 November.
In Germany he has drawn comparisons with Florian Wirtz this season, and his answer was a humble one: “Flo is an incredible player, a real Bayer Leverkusen legend. I am still trying to follow my own path and be my own player. I think we are a little different in terms of our playing styles, but of course, it is nice to be able to follow in the footsteps of such a great player. I hope that one day I can play at his level and achieve that.” He finished with a simple line on the Liverpool man: “Flo is Flo.”
Is Ibrahim Maza a realistic Tottenham target?
Watching a player is not the same as bidding for one, and nothing suggests Spurs are close to making a move. With Arsenal, Chelsea, City, Villa and PSG all named in the same breath, any chase would be a crowded one.
Still, the profile makes sense for a club that keeps looking at the Bundesliga. Spurs have already been on the phone to the agent of Eintracht Frankfurt’s €18m Germany striker Younes Ebnoutalib, and the midfield picture could change in January too, with Lucas Bergvall on Napoli’s rebuild list and Aston Villa, Leeds and Everton circling Conor Gallagher.
Verdict: one to keep tabs on, not a January deal
A 20-year-old with 24 caps, a regular place at Leverkusen and Messi’s vote is exactly the type of player Spurs should be watching. Leverkusen have already watched Wirtz leave for Liverpool, though, so they know exactly what a creator like this is worth, and with half of Europe’s elite looking at him, Maza feels like a summer story rather than a winter one.
If Spurs are serious, the scouting needs to turn into something concrete before the queue gets any longer.
