Debut dream shattered for the time being
Nagelsmann is apparently removing a professional from the squad
November 15, 2025 – 5:52 p.mReading time: 1 min.
He was one of the new guys in the DFB team. Now Saïd El Mala’s time is probably over before the duel with Slovakia.
National coach Julian Nagelsmann apparently left Saïd El Mala out of the German squad ahead of the “final” in the World Cup qualification against Slovakia on Monday. As the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” reports, the 19-year-old professional from 1. FC Köln will travel to the U21 national team, which will compete in the European Championship qualifiers in Georgia on Tuesday. The decision has not yet been officially confirmed.
El Mala was previously nominated by Nagelsmann for the first time. The national coach praised his qualities in individual actions in advance. The offensive player is “a profile that we don’t have that many of in Germany.” However, El Mala was on the bench for 90 minutes in the 2-0 win against Luxembourg last Friday.
The DFB debut of the Krefeld native will therefore be postponed for the time being. El Mala may first return to the U21s, for whom he has already played four games.
Nagelsmann and the German selection are now facing a crucial duel. A win or a draw against Slovakia on Monday evening (from 8:45 p.m. in the t-online live ticker) is enough for first place. If Germany loses the home game in Leipzig against their direct rivals after losing 2-0 in September, Slovakia will go to the World Cup.
The DFB team, on the other hand, would face the ultimate test of nerves in the playoffs in March – two knockout games, both of which would have to be won in order to get one of the 48 places after a considerable delay.