Ibrahim Maza overlooked for Golden Boy award despite Kopa Trophy nomination

Ibrahim Maza has been left out of the Golden Boy shortlist despite being among the 10 nominees for the Kopa Trophy, which recognises the best young player at the Ballon d’Or awards.

The Algeria international is competing for the Kopa Trophy but was not included among the 25 players selected for this year’s Golden Boy award.

The Golden Boy prize, created by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, has been awarded since 2003, making it older than the Kopa Trophy, which was introduced by France Football in 2018.

The omission of Maza is notable given his inclusion among the candidates for the Kopa Trophy.

The two awards use different methods to select their nominees. The Kopa Trophy shortlist is drawn up by France Football’s editorial team following a period of deliberation.

The Golden Boy nominees, meanwhile, are selected using the Golden Boy Benchmark Football Index. The system is designed to assess the performances of players aged under 21 who compete in Europe’s leading leagues.

Maza does not appear among the 101 players included in the index used for the Golden Boy selection.

That has raised questions over the system, particularly because some of the players included in the wider list have not received the same level of recognition as Maza at the Kopa Trophy.

One of the names highlighted is Edwin Austbo, a Denmark Under-21 international who plays in the Championship with West Ham.

The voting process also differs between the two awards.

For the Golden Boy award, journalists from 10 European countries take part in deciding the winner. The Kopa Trophy uses a different voting system, with former Ballon d’Or winners responsible for selecting the recipient.

The difference in the voting process means the two awards can produce significantly different lists of candidates.

The absence of Maza from the Golden Boy shortlist has therefore attracted attention, particularly after France Football included him among the 10 players nominated for the Kopa Trophy.

The selection process has also raised questions about whether players representing European nations receive an advantage in the voting.

However, the Kopa Trophy nominees include players from outside Europe, including Ayoub Bouaddi of Morocco and Yan Diomandé of Ivory Coast.

Maza’s omission leaves him competing for one of the most prestigious individual awards for young players while being absent from another major prize in the same age category.

The Algerian remains in contention for the Kopa Trophy, but his absence from the Golden Boy list has provided one of the notable differences between the two awards this year.