1. FC Cologne
The new attraction of the Bundesliga: El Mala inspires as a dribble artist
04.10.2025 – 07:46 a.m.Reading time: 3 min.
Said El Mala is the big attraction at 1. FC Köln The Youngster shoots FC in Hoffenheim to victory and shows what makes it extraordinary.
Does the 1. FC Cologne have a prospective German international again in his ranks? Said El Mala demonstrated early in the still young Bundesliga season why at FC all raved about the 19-year-old. On Friday evening he becomes a match winner for the first of the billy goats.
It runs the 16th minute in the Prezero Arena when Eric Martel wins a ball on the center line. The defense of TSG Hoffenheim is disorganized, and El Mala recognizes that immediately. The teenager grabs the ball from Martel and puts on a sprint. It can no longer be stopped over 30, 40 meters. He leaves three Hoffenheim with his dribbling and finally shoots 1-0.
The fact that El Mala tunneled Oliver Baumann, after all, the current number one in the German national team is only a marginal note. The 19-year-old is already turning and celebrating his second Bundesliga goal. So far, it has only been used as a joker at FC. In Hoffenheim he can go for the first time right from the start. It is part of this unusual story that he scored the winning goal for 1-0.
After the game, El Mala doesn’t speak. FC still protects the youngster, the last season played in the 3rd league near Viktoria Köln and who had previously been sorted out by Borussia Mönchengladbach in the offspring. He has been playing for the billy goats since this summer, and since the first day in training it seems clear that a top talent is growing here, the breakthrough of which will hardly be prevented.
“Said caused a sensation when he came in. He relieved me of the decision at some point and also met three times in the final training. The hype about his striker is actually not really the 44-year-old. Kwasniok does not try to let the boy shattered too much. But it gets heavier with every top performance.
“A great boy,” is his Swiss teammate Joel Schmied after the game. “I told him before the game that he should get into his game with simple actions. He does not have to prove to everyone that he is the dribble artist par excellence. And then he delivers such a game! He just makes it super well.” Schmied, 27, but also knows what it is about. “Now we have to keep the boy on the ground. It is part of the fact that we older players support the boys. He has already proven that he has the level.”
Dominique Heintz also thinks that. The veteran knows from his own experience that coach Kwasniok rewarded when a player trains well. “Then you will be rewarded,” says the central defender. “I told him: The early days is always the easiest. The art is to show it for a long time. But Said is clear in the head, it is a good boy.” And then he adds with a laugh: “We older people have a good grip on him.” Only the opponents not. And that is exactly what helps the FC.
El Mala will be traveling again during the upcoming international break, he belongs to the new tribe of the German U21. Should he continue to play as carefree as on Friday in Hoffenheim, he also gets up for other doors-including those with Julian Nagelsmann in the A-National team. That is still a future music. But at FC, the future will quickly become present.