Said El Mala: The Next Big Talent for Germany?
Lothar Matthäus didn’t bother with subtlety. Standing by the touchline after Cologne’s 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen, he looked at Said El Mala and saw a player made for the new era.
“He is definitely a player for Jürgen Klopp. He would also have been a player for Julian Nagelsmann,” he told Sky. One sentence, two national coaches, and a clear accusation between the lines.
The talent left waiting
El Mala’s rise at Cologne has been fast. Nagelsmann rewarded it with a first call-up in November 2025, but the Germany Under-21 international is still waiting for his senior debut. Seven caps and one goal for the U21s, plenty of buzz around him, yet no step through the final door.
The World Cup snub still hangs in the air. His omission from the squad surprised plenty at the time. Even when Bayern youngster Lennart Karl suffered a serious injury in the build-up to the tournament, the call did not go to Cologne. Instead, Leipzig’s Assan Ouedraogo was drafted in. El Mala stayed at home.
Matthäus has a clear view on that decision and doesn’t hide behind tactics or form curves. “Maybe he didn't take him because there would have been too much fuss around him,” he suggested. Then came the punchline: “But that's exactly what we need. A player like him with this pace uses his strengths. He has strengths that you need to be right at the top.”
Too much fuss. Too much noise. Exactly the kind of electricity Matthäus believes the national team has been missing.
Turbulent summer, sharp start
The past few months around El Mala have been loud enough. A supposed rejected move to FC Brentford. Concrete interest from Borussia Dortmund. Then, against the transfer-window script, a surprise contract extension in Cologne.
He responded on the pitch. On the opening matchday against Hoffenheim, he was straight among the goals in a 2-1 win, underlining why so many clubs had circled his name.
The rhythm then stuttered. Illness ruled him out of the 4-1 defeat to Stuttgart. Against Werder Bremen, still carrying a knock, he had to settle for a place on the bench. He only came on for the final 15 minutes, a short cameo rather than a starring role.
Yet even from the bench, the expectations around him are clear.
Cologne coach Rene Wagner spoke cautiously but with intent about his DFB prospects. “He has already been involved. There has not yet been any exchange. Said now wants to perform in order to put himself forward. Unfortunately from the bench today, but we have great hope that he gives us plenty of energy.”
Inside the dressing room, the language is less restrained. Goalscorer Linton Maina summed up what El Mala brings in one vivid image: at least “a rocket is still coming off the bench.”
Cologne sit 11th in the table on four points. One more league game at Hamburger SV awaits before the first international break. For El Mala, that week could change everything.
Klopp’s first big call
On Thursday, Jürgen Klopp names his first Germany squad. His first list of names, his first big statement. One of the key questions: does Said El Mala make it?
According to Sky, Klopp is ready to back him. The new national coach is said to see huge potential in the Cologne winger and wants to trust him from the very start of his tenure.
The hints have been there for weeks. At his inaugural press conference at the end of July, Klopp made it clear that fresh faces are welcome and that wide players will be central to his idea of Germany.
“Because every opponent can make the pitch very narrow. The only advantage you have is for a brief moment out wide. The playmakers of the modern era are out wide,” he said. It was more than a tactical lecture; it was a roadmap for players exactly like El Mala.
From a purely attacking standpoint, the fit is obvious. Pace. Dribbling power. Direct, vertical movement towards goal. It screams “Klopp football.” The question sits elsewhere: can El Mala deliver the same intensity in counter-pressing that Klopp demands from his forwards?
That detail may decide whether his name is read out on Thursday or left hanging again.
Nations League as a new stage
The stage for Klopp’s debut is anything but gentle. Germany open their Nations League campaign away to the Netherlands in Amsterdam on 24 September. Three days later comes Klopp’s first home game in Augsburg against Greece. Then Serbia in Munich on 1 October. Greece again in Thessaloniki on 4 October.
Four games, quick succession, no time for slow introductions. Perfect conditions for a fearless winger to explode onto the international scene – or to watch from a distance and wonder what might have been.
Matthäus has made his verdict clear. Cologne have nailed their colours to him. Klopp has outlined the profile he wants.
Now the question hangs over Thursday: does Said El Mala finally stop waiting and step into the Germany team’s new era, or does the “fuss” around him grow without a single senior cap to his name?
