In a surprising twist in the Kopa Trophy voting, Lionel Messi was the only former Ballon d’Or winner to include Bayer Leverkusen youngster Ibrahim Maza in his top three for the award, while Cristiano Ronaldo once again refused to take part in the voting.
According to the ballots published by France Football, Messi selected Barcelona stars Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí, alongside the highly rated 20-year-old Algerian midfielder. Most other jury members opted for Yamal, Cubarsí and PSG's Warren Zaïre-Emery.
Maza's inclusion was particularly surprising, as no other member of the jury voted for the Bayer Leverkusen talent. The youngster has enjoyed an impressive start to life in Germany, making 11 appearances in all competitions since the summer, scoring three goals and providing three assists. He is under contract with Leverkusen until 2030.
Messi may have been impressed by Maza during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when Argentina faced Algeria in the group stage. Although Argentina won 3-0, Maza played 82 minutes and went on to start all four of Algeria's matches at the tournament.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo continued his long-running feud with France Football by once again staying away from the Kopa Trophy vote. The Portuguese superstar has now skipped the voting process for the fifth time, having last participated in 2021, when he selected England's Mason Greenwood.
Ronaldo's boycott dates back to a dispute with former France Football editor-in-chief Pascal Ferré. The controversy erupted after Ferré claimed that Ronaldo had told him his greatest ambition was to finish his career with more Ballon d'Or awards than Lionel Messi.
The Al-Nassr forward strongly denied the claim, accusing Ferré of lying and using his name for publicity. Since then, Ronaldo has distanced himself from the magazine's awards, refusing to attend the ceremony or participate in the Kopa Trophy voting.
With Messi making an unexpected choice in favour of Ibrahim Maza and Ronaldo maintaining his five-year voting boycott, this year's Kopa Trophy story has delivered drama both on and off the pitch.