Lionel Messi’s ballot for the 2026 Kopa Trophy, the award for the best young player of the season presented at the Ballon d’Or gala, has been revealed, according to L’Equipe. Lamine Yamal took home the trophy, but the captain of Inter Miami was among the former Ballon d’Or winners who made up the jury, and his choices include a surprise that no other juror shared.
The Kopa Trophy is decided by the votes of former Ballon d’Or winners, who each choose three players and give them five, three and one points in order of preference. The award recognizes the best player under 21, and the rules prioritize individual performances, the ability to be decisive and the impression left on the pitch, followed by team performance, titles, class and fair play.
Messi voted for Yamal in first place and Cubarsi in second, but his third choice was Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Ibrahim Maza. The Argentine was the only one of the 27 former winners who included the 20-year-old Algerian in his top three, and that single point left Maza ninth in the final standings, ahead of Johan Manzambi and behind Eli Junior Kroupi.
Maza also became the first Algerian player to reach the list of ten candidates, thanks to his season at Leverkusen, where he has three goals and three assists in 11 matches, and his role at the 2026 World Cup.
Ibrahim Maza during a 2026 World Cup game vs Argentina. (Getty Images)
Yamal won the award after a close battle with his Barcelona teammate Cubarsi, who finished second, while Warren Zaire-Emery completed the podium in third place. It was the third consecutive year that the Spanish winger took home the trophy, after his wins in 2024 and 2025.
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The World Cup connection between Messi and Maza
The vote has a clear link to the World Cup. Maza faced Messi and Argentina in their opening match of the tournament in Kansas City, a 3-0 win for Argentina in which the captain scored a hat-trick. Despite the result, the midfielder had a standout performance for Algeria and set up a goal for Fares Chaibi that was ruled out for offside.
For Maza, the gesture from one of the greatest players in history is a recognition that goes beyond the standings, and for Messi, it is a reminder that his eye for talent extends to those who were on the other side of the pitch.
While Yamal and Cubarsi are the faces of a new generation, the Algerian midfielder now has a story to tell: the player who, after a World Cup match in which Messi dominated, earned his vote for one of the most prestigious individual awards in the sport.
