In commemoration of German phenom Said El Mala’s nomination to the German national team, Kicker has put together a short portrait of the 19-year-old potentially preparing to set the footballing world alight. Kicker journalist Jim Decker chronicles the 19-year-old dribbling artist’s (relatively short) journey as follows

A Borussia Mönchengladbach Rejection (2021)

As if the poor relegation-threatened Niederrheiner don’t have enough to be unhappy about these days, Gladbach most accept the fact that they made a serious error in allowing a promising player to ultimately be snatched up by their fiercest rivals. Decker notes that the BMG youth department arrived at the conclusion that both Said and his elder brother Malek (both featuring for the Gladbach U17s at the time) were simply not good enough. 

In the summer of 2021, Said was rejected by the scouting department for being too small and slight. Unbeknownst to the scouts who rejected the then 14-year-old Said, he would grow to a height of 1.87m (or 6’2”) in the present day. Unlike Florian Wirtz (always highly rated before Köln lost him to Bayer Leverkusen), Said was among the youngsters told that the professional game simply wasn’t for him. 

The move to Meerbusch (2021-2023)

Undeterred, the two brothers (both from Krefeld) changed Westphalian locales. TSV Meerbusch (a town of close to 60,000 near Düsseldorf) enabled the two brothers to recapture their love of football whilst playing in youth leagues and occasionally for a club with fifth division status. Amongst friends and playful “streetballer” kick-abouts, the two siblings began to thrive again. 

The taller and older Malek continued to work as a central defender while Said settled in to train behind him. Said’s scoring prowess nevertheless shined through. The younger brother scored 14 goals in 15 games during the autumn of 2022. The two brothers from a working class family made another attempt at getting on a professional track. It would nevertheless not be easy. 

Viktoria Köln (2023-2024)

Players who have been turned down by a large club’s youth sector generally have difficulty getting new auditions. The fact that their physicality has been assessed by top level scouts means other clubs generally aren’t interested. Some players, but not many, make it through anyway. Decker actually writes that the Said and Malek received 13 rejectionsbefore being given tryouts at 3. Liga outfit Viktoria Köln.

The Höhenberg club immediately converted the taller and older Malek into a striker. Said would soon follow suit as a converted winger. Both brothers performed well for the Viktoria U19s and made their debuts with the first team before the 2023/24 campaign was out. The cathedral city’s largest club, 1. FC Köln, signed both bothers (Said for €350,000 and Malek for €100,000) and loaned them back out to Viktoria for the 2024/25 campaign. 

Viktoria Köln (2024-2025)

While Malek struggled with injury, Said had a breakout year. The younger sibling scored 13 goals and contributed five assists in 32 3. Liga appearances. Said then dazzled for Germany at the U19 World Cup this past summer. Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion – having already snatched up young German attacking prospect Brajan Gruda – begin to take notice.

1. FC Köln (Summer 2025-present)

Said and Malek only just moved out of their parent’s house and into a shared apartment this past summer. While Malek still hasn’t made a first team appearance, the elder brother has scored five goals for Köln II in the German fourth division this year. At the age of 20, there’s still time for him to develop. 

The time may come when Said becomes – as former Köln boss Christian Keller has predicted – the “most expensive departure in 1. FC Köln history.” Current Köln head coach Lukas Kwasniok won’t be able to keep referencing Said’s “inexperience” forever.

For the time being, both brothers have contracts with Köln valid through 2030 without release clauses. As both brothers know, proving the detractors wrong always remains possible. However, Said knows full well that facing the doubters alone isn’t advisable. 

Without each other, it’s entirely possible that the brothers might have called it quits at this point. Father Mohammed and mother Sabrina – both of whom work at Düsseldorf-based Chemical and Consumer Goods company Henkel – have also been supportive of their sons’ dreams every step of the way.