Rising Bayer Leverkusen star Ibrahim Maza talks about his skills, idols and beating Manchester City
Gifted 20-year-old playmaker Ibrahim Maza has spoken about his development and settling in at Bayer Leverkusen, beating Manchester City, plus the times he has enjoyed going for a kebab.
Bundesliga: You moved to Leverkusen last summer after seven years at Hertha Berlin - what was the switch like?
Ibrahim Maza: “It was a bit tough at the beginning. I had to get used to everything, the tempo, the quality and the fitness were all something different - mentally as well. I’ve adapted well by now. You always need a bit of time to settle into a new team."
Bundesliga: You mentioned the mental aspect. In what way was that a difficult adjustment to make?
Maza: “The tempo, alertness, constant scanning and everything just adds another element. You have to adapt a bit more, sometimes look a bit earlier, look faster and more often. That’s a small difference.”
Watch: Best of Ibrahim Maza
Bundesliga: How would you rate your first full season of Bundesliga football so far?
Maza: "I think the year is going well. I’m developing well and getting a lot of playing time. Unfortunately, there was a setback with my knee injury, but hopefully I’ll be okay again this weekend.”
Bundesliga: What was your highlight for Leverkusen so far?
Maza: “I remember my assist for Patrik Schick against Manchester City. It was against City, which was something special, and we won as well."
Bundesliga: You've been described as a street footballer due to your range of tricks. What does that mean to you?
Maza: "I suppose it's about having fun playing, being brave, sometimes doing a bit of trickery and bringing some cheekiness onto the pitch."
Bundesliga: Can that approach be dangerous when you are up against top-class defenders?
Maza: "Well, you should go for it as much as you think is good. You also have to expect that if you have too much fun, you might get hit afterwards. If you can deal with that, then it’s okay. Everyone has to decide that for themselves.”
Bundesliga: You're also known to have a great first touch. How important is that at Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League level?
Maza: “Oh, very important. It's all about the basics - first touch, passing, switching to your right foot and so on. I would even say they might be the most important things in a game, more than dribbling and everything.”
Bundesliga: You developed at Hertha's academy. Was it a serious place for a young footballer?
Maza: "Yes, but I think you should never be too serious. You still need to enjoy playing football with the boys. When we trained every day at the academy, sometimes afterwards we just went to eat döner kebabs and stuff like that."
Watch: Maza wins November Rookie of the Month
Bundesliga: Do you have any good friends from those days you are still in contact with?
Maza: "Yes, I've known one of them since I was five. We played together at Füchse Berlin, then together at Hertha Berlin. He was at Verl in the third division, and now he’s in Portugal. My other best friend, Noel Aseko Nkili, is on loan to Hannover from Bayern."
Bundesliga: Which players were your role models back then?
Maza: “For a short time, my idol was Mesut Özil. When he was at Arsenal, I watched Arsenal, and he was the player for me. Otherwise [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi and Neymar. When you saw them, it was just beautiful.”
Bundesliga: Looking ahead, what aims do you have for the rest of the season?
Maza: “First of all, getting fully fit again, hopefully, and then helping the team again. Also that we win as many games as possible this year and qualify for the Champions League.”
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