El Mala’s jersey number for the national team is also reminiscent of the long-time Cologne captain. After being nominated for the first time, the shooting star wears the number 14 on his back. With this number, Hector played for FC throughout his entire career and also for the DFB team in the meantime.
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Fayssal Harchaoui became first European and then world champion with the German U17 national team. He has not yet made a breakthrough at 1. FC Köln. The 19-year-old currently has to recommend himself to the professionals via the regional league team. “I want to develop further and establish myself in the U21. I want to play a key role and impress with my performances,” the midfielder now told the “Geissblog”.
During the preparation he was not able to impress coach Lukas Kwasniok’s professionals. But now Harchaoui is a regular U21 player and is gaining experience on the European stage with the U19s in the UEFA Youth League. “We’ll see where the path leads. Of course we’d like to join the professionals, preferably here at FC,” said Harchaoui about his future. “But I don’t yet know what the path will look like in a few months.”
Harchaoui still has a contract with FC until 2028. A loan in the summer of 2026 after a season in the U21 is considered likely in order to gain match practice at a higher level than the regional league and then enter the fight for squad places with the professionals.