Cologne young star there
Criticism of Nagelsmann’s nomination: “It comes too early”
November 7, 2025 – 9:17 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Said El Mala is in the national team squad for the first time. This doesn’t inspire enthusiasm among all experts.
The 19-year-old from Cologne, Said El Mala, is in the senior national team squad for the first time – and that sparks discussions. Dietmar Hamann would have waited to be nominated.
“For me the nomination comes too early,” said the former national player in a football talk on the pay-TV channel Sky. “I would have waited until spring, then they could still have nominated him. There’s a lot of hype around the boy at the moment anyway – clubs from Spain and England are also interested.”
Oliver Kahn also expressed reservations. “I’m not a big fan of bringing the boys straight in if they’ve played two or three good games,” said the former world-class goalkeeper, who became runner-up in the world championship with Hamann in 2002.
But he also showed understanding: “On the other hand, you also have to understand that a national coach wants to see and feel the boys – how they perform in training and how they function in the group,” added the former Bayern boss. “So I can understand the nomination.”
Nagelsmann had named El Mala to the 25-man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg (November 14th) and Slovakia (November 17th) in Leipzig. El Mala has scored four goals in nine games at 1. FC Köln so far this season and has thus played his way to the foreground.
The offensive player has been used in several DFB U teams so far – most recently in October for the German U21s in the European Championship qualification.
El Mala is the first FC professional since Jonas Hector to be nominated for the senior national team. Hector played his last international match in November 2019.