"Ibo's nomination – particularly when you consider the other names on the list, such as Lamine Yamal – shows just how high a standard our players and our team are performing at,” said Bayer 04 managing director sport Simon Rolfes. “I’m also particularly pleased, of course, for our youth academy that Kerim Alajbegovic – another player who came through our youth ranks – is on the list.”
Maza moved from the youth section at Hertha Berlin to Leverkusen in the summer of 2025. Last season, the 20-year-old made 44 appearances for the Werkself across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing seven assists. In the Champions League clash away to Benfica (1-0), Maza was also voted ‘Player of the Match’. This summer, the attacking midfielder represented Algeria at the World Cup in North America, starting all four matches.
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Alongside Maza, former Leverkusen player Alajbegovic is also on the shortlist in the ‘Men’s Young Talent of the Year’ category. The forward represented Bayer 04 youth teams from 2021 to 2025. The Bosnian World Cup participant scored 38 goals and provided 19 assists in 78 matches for the Leverkusen U19s. He did not play for the first team. This summer, the club transferred the 18-year-old to Italian record champions Juventus.
The shortlist of ten players in the ‘Men’s Young Talent of the Year’ category for 2026: Kerim Alajbegovic, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Pau Cubarsi, Yan Diomande, Lennart Karl, Eli Junior Kroupi, Lamine Yamal, Johan Manzambi, Ibrahim Maza, Warren Zaïre-Emery.
About the Ballon d'Or:
The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious award in football and was established in 1956 by the sports journal France Football. Since 2024, the awards have been presented in collaboration with UEFA. The 2026 awards ceremony will take place on 26 October – in London for the first time, as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations.
An overview of current ticket sales for Bayer 04 home and away matches in the 2026/27 season.
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Three games, three wins: Bayer 04 secured a 2–0 victory at Greek Cup winners OFI Crete with Jonas Hofmann scoring both goals at the Pankritio Stadium, right on the Mediterranean coast (35’, 38’). As a result, the Werkself have temporarily taken over top spot in the table on Matchday 3 of the league phase of the UEFA Europa League.
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'40 Years Across Europe' - and for the first time ever, Bayer 04 are travelling to Greece's biggest island for a European clash. There they'll take on OFI Crete - full name Omilos Filathlon Irakleiou (‘Association of Sports Friends of Heraklion’) - on Matchday 3 of the 2026/27 UEFA Europa League league phase. The meeting with the Greek Cup winners kicks off at 18:45 CEST on Thursday 22 October at the Pankritio. We’ll bring you all the latest updates from the trip here…
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Two games – two wins: Bayer 04 have picked up maximum points from their two matches so far in the league phase of the UEFA Europa League. What's more, of their previous 14 UEL matches, Bayer 04 have lost just one. Away to OFI Crete, Carles Martínez’s side are looking to add another successful performance on the European stage to their string of impressive displays. The Greeks, for their part, have been waiting four matches for a win, but Leverkusen should be on their guard: OFI’s most recent victory came against a German side. Today's matchday news.
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Ahead of Bayer 04's Europa League match away to OFI Crete in Greece, defender Jarell Quansah spoke to Werkself-TV...
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