Said El Mala – The Next Bundesliga Star In The Making
The start of the new Bundesliga season is getting closer and closer. One of the most interesting players of the new season and a player to watch is Said El Mala from 1.FC Köln. A short look at his career path so far and what Bundesliga fans can expect.
Said El Mala’s career started on youth level at Borussia M’gladbach, and it almost ended there as well. Said, as well as his older brother Malek were dropped back in 2021, and Said has been close to retiring from football. Fortunately, his brother convinced him to continue at a lower level. Both started to play for the youth team of TSV Meerbusch.
After two really good seasons there, they were scouted by Viktoria Köln. After a trial at the club, they finally moved to Cologne and started to impress in their youth teams. Said became one of the best players of their youth academy and had a strong impact on the team’s performances as well as results.
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Eleven goals and six assists in his first year for Viktoria have been so impressive that the first team became eager to give him minutes in the third division as soon as possible. Letting him train with the first team wasn’t enough anymore, he got promoted in the winter of his first season there.
At the age of 17 years, 5 months and 26 days he became one of the youngest debutants in the club’s history. In his first match right from the beginning in March 2024, he already scored his first goal and gained more and more playtime as well as match experience until the end of the season. Olaf Janßen, Viktoria Köln’s coach, was absolutely aware of the amazing player that he had there and wanted to promote him as much as possible.
1.FC Köln could sign him despite strong interest from other clubs
Obviously, his development as well as his impressive performances were seen by other clubs as well. Especially the 1.FC Köln was following him closely and signed him, as well as his brother, in summer 2024. One season for Viktoria seemed to be enough to get in the spotlight of bigger clubs, which is already saying enough about his abilities and skills.
Since the 1.FC Köln could not register new players because of their transfer ban, both brothers agreed on staying at Viktoria for another reason. This has been proven to be another really smart decision of the player, his management as well and the clubs as well. Said got the chance to develop even further in an environment that he knows and delivered right away.
Breakthrough at Viktoria Köln
It can definitely be argued that his last season was more or less his full breakthrough. The 17-year-old left winger became a crucial player for Janßens Viktoria and was able to step up to one of the best players in the third division. It became out of the question that the youngster would have his place in the starting eleven.
Viktoria Köln was playing a decent season, and Said was for sure one of the main reasons for it. In the end, he was able to contribute 13 goals and 5 assists, which made him one of the best scorers in the third division last season. No wonder that his new club is eager to have him on board for the next season.
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At this point, you might have questions about his playing style and all these related things. That’s why we want to give you some answers now.
El Mala’s playing style and strengths
Said El Mala is a player who directly impresses with his physique a first glance. He is more of a tall and physically strong athlete than the typically smaller winger with a low body center of gravity. This shouldn’t mean that Said isn’t able to dribble past defenders; the opposite is actually the case.
If he receives the ball and sees the opportunity to create space for his teammates or to score a goal, he takes his head down, and it is really hard to stop afterward. Here it is his technical ability, quick feet, his physique, as well as good timing for shifts in direction that come into place, and he even likes situations with less space. It needs to be said that he doesn’t look uncoordinated or clumsy and is impressive to watch.
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Having his head down during a dribbling or in general, an action doesn’t mean that he is losing the overview of the match, too. Even in close dribbling, he is mostly able to be aware of the situation and see as well as find his teammates.
Something that he likes is, of course, to dribble with lots of changes in direction and make use of his speed too, but on the other side, to create a nice and goal-oriented combination play with his teammates as well. These qualities make him a nightmare for defenders, and you can feel the spirit of a young street footballer.
Another thing that is really standing out is his mentality. Obviously, he hasn’t had the easiest career path until now and has had to prove himself in difficult situations. The drop at Borussia M’gladbach, one year at a lower level in Meerbusch and then competing with professionals at just 17 years of age.
All those experiences are pointing to a strong mentality as well, and he also shows that he is a hard worker on the field. In contrast to other wingers, he is consistently working and helping in defensive actions as well, and not with tokenism as other players, he really puts opponents under pressure and gives everything on the field.
Bundesliga breakthrough in next season?
Having said this, it’s clear that El Mala still has lots of potential to do better in different areas too. For example, could his off-ball movement and positioning be better? His first touch could be cleaner, as well as his passing in tight spaces more precise? To make this clear, those ‘weaknesses’ are completely fine and normal for a young talent at the age of just 18 years. No one should expect that Köln is already getting a fully developed player and it feels like they are aware of this.
However, people and fans around his new club and the Bundesliga are already excited to see him play. Absolutely understandable, considering his abilities and potential. That’s why Köln already rejected lucrative offers from Brighton and Stuttgart for him and extended his contract instead.
The circumstances could be especially nice for El Mala now. A couple of weeks ago, the club announced Lukas Kwasniok as the new head coach. Looking back at his former clubs, it’s pretty obvious that he enjoys working with young players and gives them chances right away. Many players like Aaron Zehnter, new signing for Wolfsburg, have been profiting from this, and El Mala could be the next one. First impressions from the training ground are already supporting the assumption that he could play a significant role in Köln.
If the club is giving El Mala enough playing time and is able to keep the pressure on him on a low level, the Bundesliga could potentially see another attraction next season or latest, the one after. It can definitely be said that the league has another German star in the making, and we should be eager to see him play.
In cooperation with Florian Först from Kickfieber.de.
By: Ahmed Bilal
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / picture alliance