Said El Mala: The Köln Winger Ready for Germany Call-Up

On a cool evening in Cologne, with Werder Bremen holding the hosts to a 1-1 draw, the real noise wasn’t about the point gained or lost. It was about a player who didn’t even start.

Said El Mala.

On the touchline, Lothar Matthäus cut straight through the chatter. Speaking to Sky, the Germany legend nailed his colours to the mast: “He is definitely a player for Jürgen Klopp. He would also have been a player for Julian Nagelsmann.” No hesitation. No caveats. Just a clear statement that the 21-year-old belongs at the very top.

The talent left waiting

El Mala’s rise at Köln has been rapid enough to twist necks. Nagelsmann called him into the senior Germany squad for the first time back in November 2025, a nod to his explosive breakthrough at Effzeh. But the story stalled there.

Seven caps and one goal for Germany’s Under-21s, yet still no senior debut. Then came the World Cup squad announcement. No El Mala. The omission raised eyebrows across the country. Even when Bayern Munich’s 18-year-old attacker Lennart Karl suffered a serious injury in the build-up to the tournament, the door stayed shut. Assan Ouedraogo of RB Leipzig got the call instead.

Matthäus has his own explanation, and it has nothing to do with tactics or form. “Maybe he didn’t take him because there would have been too much fuss around him,” he suggested. For Matthäus, that’s exactly the point. Germany, in his eyes, needs that fuss. Needs that electricity. “A player like him with this pace uses his strengths. He has strengths that you need to be right at the top.”

A wild summer, a sharp start

The fuss certainly followed El Mala through a chaotic summer. A move to FC Brentford was heavily discussed, then reportedly rejected. Borussia Dortmund circled. In the end, the twist came at home: a surprise contract extension in Cologne, a clear sign that both club and player see the RheinEnergieStadion as the right stage for now.

On the pitch, he wasted no time justifying that faith. On the opening matchday against Hoffenheim, El Mala was straight among the goals in a 2-1 win, his pace and directness ripping open the game.

Then came a bump. Illness ruled him out of the 4-1 defeat to Stuttgart. A knock meant he only made the bench against Werder Bremen. He entered for the final 15 minutes, too late to decide the match, but not too late to remind everyone of the threat he carries when he accelerates into space.

Cologne coach Rene Wagner knows exactly what is at stake now, not just for his club but for the national team. “He has already been involved,” Wagner said of El Mala’s DFB prospects. “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 respect is just as clear. Goalscorer Linton Maina summed it up with a grin: at least “a rocket is still coming off the bench” when El Mala is unleashed.

Four points from their opening games leave Cologne 11th in the table. One more test awaits before the season pauses for the first international break: an away trip to Hamburger SV. For El Mala, that match is one last audition before the decision that could change his career.

Klopp’s first big call

On Thursday, Jürgen Klopp names his first Germany squad. The anticipation around El Mala’s name is growing by the day.

According to Sky, Klopp is ready to back him. The new Bundestrainer is said to see huge potential in the Köln winger and wants to trust him right from the start of his tenure. It would be a bold move, but bold is Klopp’s natural setting.

He already hinted at this direction at his inaugural press conference at the end of July. Klopp made it clear that the flanks will be crucial in his 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.

El Mala, viewed purely from an attacking lens, seems built for that script. Pace that scares defenders. Dribbling that breaks lines. A direct, ruthless drive towards goal. On paper, he fits Klopp’s high-intensity football like a glove.

But the equation is not that simple. With Klopp, there is always the other side of the ball. Counter-pressing will be non-negotiable. Winning the ball back in seconds, hunting in packs, covering every blade. For El Mala, that will be the real test: can he marry his attacking chaos with the relentless work without the ball that Klopp demands?

Nations League and a new era

Germany’s new chapter under Klopp starts with a brutal schedule. First up, a Nations League clash against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on 24 September. Three days later comes his first home game in charge, in Augsburg against Greece on 27 September. Then Serbia in Munich on 1 October. Greece again in Thessaloniki on 4 October.

High-profile games. High pressure. Little margin for experimentation.

And that is where the decision on El Mala becomes so fascinating. Does Klopp throw the Köln winger straight into the fire and trust his instincts, as Matthäus urges? Or does he hold him back a little longer, easing him in as the campaign unfolds?

Cologne’s rocket is ready on the launchpad. On Thursday, Germany will find out whether Klopp is ready to push the button.