The 2026 World Cup gathers a series of top world stars, from European and South American champions to rising young talents.
Among the players participating in this year's biggest football festival on the planet, Vietnamese fans paid special attention to a name with Vietnamese blood. That is Ibrahim Maza - a young midfielder of the Algerian national team.
The player born in 2005 has a Vietnamese mother and an Algerian father. Although born and raised in Germany, he still carries a connection with Vietnam through his family.
Maza developed in the youth training system of German football and wore many youth teams of this country. However, when entering the highest-level international competition stage, he decided to choose Algeria as a destination for his national team career.
At the age of 21, Maza has become one of the most promising faces of North African football. After impressing in the Hertha Berlin shirt, this midfielder moved to Bayer Leverkusen and was quickly given the opportunity to play in the Bundesliga.
The ability to handle the ball in a narrow range, creative thinking and breakthrough situations help him be considered one of the young attacking midfielders worth watching in Europe.
Maza's transfer value is currently among the highest among players of Vietnamese origin who have played professionally abroad.
Not only highly appreciated by experts, he also appeared in the list of the most notable young talents at the 2026 World Cup voted by international media.
In Algeria, Maza is part of a rejuvenation plan. He has made many appearances for the national team and participated in the journey to win a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. In the upcoming tournament, the midfielder born in 2005 is expected to support experienced stars such as Riyad Mahrez or Amine Gouiri in attack.
The Algerian team is in a group with the presence of Argentina, Austria and Jordan. In the context of the competition for a ticket to the next round being predicted to be very fierce, Maza will have the opportunity to experience the World Cup stage for the first time. Vietnamese fans also want to see Maza face world superstar Messi.
In his latest statement to the media, Maza said: "I hope I will have a good opportunity to play. The craziest thing is that we will face Argentina and also face Messi - whom I have watched since childhood. I will try to exchange for his jersey. I hope he can watch this video. Please give me his jersey".
