When the 14-year-old German talent Said El Mala was considered surplus to requirements and subsequently released from the Borussia Monchengladbach academy, the striker of Lebanese descent seemed on the verge of joining the huge number of players who, despite lofty ambitions, fail to make the breakthrough at the highest level.
In a recent interview with local radio station Radio Koln, El Mala looked back on how the setback affected him early on in his career, admitting, “It wasn’t easy to process. Everything went from zero to a hundred - and I was suddenly out. As a 14-year-old, you ask yourself: 'What did I do wrong?'”
Such was the extent of El Mala's disappointment back then that he wanted to end his career, but his brother Malek, who was also enrolled in the academy, persuaded him to keep playing as both of them joined Oberliga outfit TSV Meerbusch.
The fact that Malek came to his brother's aid in a time of deep distress is symbolic of their relationship, as they have pretty much acted like they are joined at the hip since the start of their football careers.
Ever since 2017, the two brothers, who also live together in a shared apartment in a community housing village in Cologne, have played together at four different football clubs and are also part of the current starting 11 at Bundesliga outfit 1. FC Koln.
The two brothers have become truly dependent on each other, and it has been reported in German media that Said won't sign for a new club unless he is followed by his brother.
Said's rise to Bundesliga prominence this season has been simply sensational, and the gifted youngster is already leading the way in the goalscoring charts for his side with six goals in 15 matches this season.
In the wake of his unexpected rise to stardom, El Mala has attracted many influential admirers, including Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany, who was very impressed by the youngster prior to his side's DFB Cup second-round win in Cologne.
"This kid has this initial acceleration and then a second burst of speed. That surprises many defenders, and he can shoot when running at speed," the Belgian explained after the match to German media.
"That feeling of being inactive and then suddenly launching a full-scale counter-attack is, of course, a quality you can use throughout your entire career.”
The hype surrounding the gifted left winger did not go unnoticed by Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann either, as he rewarded El Mala for his promising performances with a maiden call-up for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Slovakia in the fall.
It wasn't the only time that El Mala was handed a chance to shine in the German colours, as he was named in the team of the tournament for his contributions to Germany's UEFA U19 European Championships campaign, scoring a competition-high four goals during last summer.
It has been a meteoric rise for El Mala, who just seven months ago was still playing for Viktoria Koln in Germany’s third division. But the talented youngster certainly has endured his share of hardship to arrive at that point, as he and his brother received no less than 13 rejections from various clubs before they were handed tryouts at Viktoria Koln in 2023.
Said hasn't looked back since joining Viktoria. His performances at the end of the 2023/24 season earned him a contract with his current club, but after he was loaned back to Viktoria for last season, 13 goals and five assists earned him the 3. Liga Newcomer of the Season award.
When he is searching forward, the 19-year-old has a habit of slowing down only to immediately pick up speed again to outfox his opponents. He has an incredible ability to control the ball in the tightest of spaces and drive away from opponents, making him ideal as a winger in addition to being a striker.
All of these qualities mean that El Mala could earn a place in the German World Cup squad next year – even if he initially refused to answer Nagelmann’s call when the German national team coach tried to reach him to let him know that he had earned his first call-up in the fall.
“I don’t tend to pick up if I don’t recognise the number,” the youngster told Sky. “Then he sent me a message: ‘Hi, Julian Nagelsmann here, please call me back.’ I showed the message to my brother, and I just knew: I must have been called up.”
Judging from Said's promising performances this fall season, it's little wonder that many of Europe’s top clubs also have their eyes on the shooting star.
1. FC Koln are under no illusions that they will be able to keep Said with a household of illustrious clubs lining up to get his signature on a lucrative contract.“Let’s not fool ourselves; we know he probably won’t be playing here for the next 15 years,” admitted head coach Lukas Kwasniok recently. “We have to develop him carefully – and one day sell him for an unbelievable amount of money.”
Koln are currently in 11th spot before they kick off their spring campaign in the Bundesliga with an away fixture against Heidenheim on January 10th.
