FC jewel in the national team
El Mala: “Proud to represent Cologne”
November 6, 2025 – 1:41 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
It’s a small sensation: Said El Mala from 1. FC Köln has been nominated for the German national team for the first time by Julian Nagelsmann.
Almost exactly eleven years ago to the day, on November 14, 2014, a 1. FC Köln player last made his debut in the German senior national team. Jonas Hector was to be a regular member of the DFB team over the next five years and appeared a total of 43 times for Germany, including at the 2016 European Championships and 2018 World Cup. Now FC has its next national player.
At least Julian Nagelsmann named Said El Mala to the German national team squad on Thursday. The 19-year-old stormed into the A squad of the German Football Association after just nine Bundesliga games. The attacker now has his debut in the international matches in Luxembourg (November 14th) and against Slovakia (November 17th) in Leipzig.
With four goals and two assists, El Mala has shot himself into the attention of the DFB in recent weeks and has already been rewarded twice with a nomination for the German U21. Now the 19-year-old can join national coach Nagelsmann’s DFB team in November of his first first division season.
“I am very, very happy that I was nominated for the senior national team,” said El Mala in a first statement on the FC website. “This is a great reward for the hard work and I’m proud to represent Cologne in the national jersey.” El Mala will travel to Wolfsburg on Monday, where the DFB team will meet.
Those responsible were also happy about the nomination on Thursday. “Said’s development since moving to FC has been very positive and shows how determined he is to pursue his path,” said FC sports director Thomas Kessler. “At the same time, it remains a snapshot that gives him the opportunity to gain valuable experience at the highest level and to show himself among the best German players. We are pleased that the national coach is honoring his achievements and potential in this way – and are proud to have Said, an FC player, in the German national team squad. The whole of Cologne is happy to see an FC player in the national jersey again.”
Said El Mala will now fight for World Cup qualification with the DFB team. In Group A, Germany is in first place, tied on points with Slovakia. If the Germans manage to win two games, the DFB would have secured their ticket to the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer. The 19-year-old from Cologne wants to contribute to this and further boost his rocketing career
El Mala moved from Viktoria Köln to 1. FC Köln in the summer of 2024, but was loaned out to Viktoria for another year due to the billy goats’ transfer ban. The youngster was already able to impress his city rivals on the right bank of the Rhine in the 3rd league and shine for Germany at the subsequent U19 European Championships. Curious: Due to the strong season and the convincing tournament, FC received transfer offers worth double-digit millions last summer before El Mala had even played a Bundesliga game.
Then the now 19-year-old started at FC. After strong preparation, El Mala was immediately part of the permanent staff under coach Lukas Kwasniok. The FC extended his contract without an exit clause until 2030. His market exploded from three to 18 million euros. And thanks to four goals and two assists (most recently a goal and an assist against HSV), he quickly made his way into Julian Nagelsmann’s notebook. He now made a point of getting the Cologne player into the national team.