Lionel Messi, his only supporter: Messi surprises Ibrahim Maza in the Ballon d'Or vote

A pleasant surprise for the Algerian star

Lionel Messi has sprung a surprise. The Inter Miami captain and Argentine legend handed a Ballon d'Or vote to Algeria's Ibrahim Maza, the Bayer Leverkusen player, in the race for the 2026 awards.

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal had claimed the Kopa Trophy for the best young player under 21 at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, held in the early hours of last Tuesday morning in London.

The Spaniard won it after collecting the highest number of points through a vote cast by former Ballon d'Or winners, chief among them Messi, the holder of eight of the awards himself.

French newspaper "L'Équipe" reported that Messi put Yamal first and Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsí second. The surprise came in third, where he placed Ibrahim Maza.

Stranger still, Messi was the only voter to name the Algerian among his three candidates for the Kopa Trophy. That solitary point left Maza ninth on the list.

The pair crossed paths around four months ago. In the opening round of the group stage at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, "the Flea" scored a hat-trick to drive Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria.

Maza shone despite the heavy defeat, teeing up Farès Chaïbi for a goal that was ultimately ruled out for offside.

The Algerian has played 44 matches in his first season with Bayer Leverkusen, scoring 5 goals and providing 7 assists.

He is also the first Algerian player in history to make the ten-man shortlist for the Kopa Trophy for the world's best young player.