Malek El Mala

Malek El Mala
Personal information
Date of birth (2005-04-02) 2 April 2005
Place of birth Krefeld, Germany
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position Striker
Team information
Current team
 1. FC Köln II
Number 9
Youth career
–2016 Linner SV
2016–2021 Borussia Mönchengladbach
2021–2023 TSV Meerbusch
2023–2024 Viktoria Köln
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024 Viktoria Köln 1 (0)
2024– 1. FC Köln 0 (0)
2024–2025 → Viktoria Köln (loan) 19 (3)
2025– → 1. FC Köln II (res.) 17 (7)
International career‡
2024 Germany U19 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 August 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 18:55, 17 June 2025 (UTC)

Malek El Mala (born 2 April 2005) is a German professional footballer who plays as striker for Regionalliga West club 1. FC Köln II.

Early life

El Mala was born in Krefeld, Germany.[2] His mother Sabrina, is German, and his father Mohammed, is Lebanese.[3] Both work at Düsseldorf-based consumer goods company Henkel.[4] His father played as a centre-back for Linner SV in Krefeld.[3] El Mala's younger brother, Said, is also a professional footballer.[5]

Club career

El Mala began playing football with Linner SV, where his father had also played, remaining at the club until the under-11 level.[6] He later joined the youth academy of Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he remained until his release at age 14.[3] El Mala then joined TSV Meerbusch, before moving to Viktoria Köln in 2023.[3]

On 19 February 2024, he signed his first professional contract with Viktoria Köln.[7] He debuted with them in a 5–3 loss in a 3. Liga match against Preußen Münster on 27 April 2024.[8] On 26 June 2024, El Mala signed a contract with 1. FC Köln; however, due to the club's transfer ban, he remained on loan at Viktoria Köln for the 2024–25 season.[9] On 19 July 2025, his contract was extended until 2030.[8]

El Mala played for Köln's reserve team in the Regionalliga West during the 2025–26 season; after playing 11 matches, in which he scored five goals, El Mala tore his muscle in November 2025 and was sidelined for several months, returning to action on 10 May 2026.[10] After returning from injury, El Mala played two more games, finishing the season with 13 appearances.[11]

International career

Born in Germany, El Mala is of Lebanese descent through his father.[12][13] In May 2024, he was called up to the Germany national under-19 team for a friendly against Denmark,[14] and made his appearance as a half-time substitute in a 5–1 defeat.[15]

Style of play

Originally a centre-back, El Mala converted to a striker with Viktoria Köln's under-19s in early 2024.[16]

Career statistics

As of match played 22 August 2026[17][11]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League DFB-Pokal Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Viktoria Köln 2023–24 3. Liga 10—1[a]020
1. FC Köln 2024–25 2. Bundesliga ———00
2025–26 Bundesliga ———00
2026–27 Bundesliga ———00
Total 00000000
Viktoria Köln (loan) 2024–25 3. Liga 193—3[a]2225
1. FC Köln II (res.) 2025–26 Regionalliga West 135——135
2026–27 Regionalliga West 42——42
Total 1770000177
Career total 371000424112
  1. 1 2 Appearance(s) in Middle Rhine Cup

Honours

Viktoria Köln

References

  1. ↑ "Malek El Mala" (in German). 1. FC Köln. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  2. ↑ Bödeker, Uwe (19 June 2025). ""Habe ihn überredet": FC-Brüder El Mala erzählen von negativen Erinnerungen an Mönchengladbach" ["I persuaded him": FC Köln brothers El Mala talk about negative memories of Mönchengladbach] (in German). Express.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Peters, Steffen (3 November 2025). "Das ist Köln-Talent Said El Mala: Herkunft, Eltern, Bruder, Gehalt & Freundin". wettfreunde.net (in German). Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  4. ↑ Weis, Peter (6 November 2025). "FEATURE | Said El Mala's journey from 'Ruhrpott Reject' to the German national team". OneFootball. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  5. ↑ Kemper, Jürgen (26 June 2024). "FC holt Bruder-Duo an Bord: "Bringen sehr gute Voraussetzungen mit"" [FC brings brother duo on board: "They bring very good prerequisites"] (in German). Express. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "Unsere Jugend ist voller Stolz" [Our youth are full of pride] (in German). Linner SV. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2025 – via Facebook.
  7. ↑ "Brüder bleiben: Viktoria bindet Malek und Said El Mala langfristig" [Brothers stay: Viktoria secures Malek and Said El Mala long-term contracts] (in German). Kölner Bilder-Bogen. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  8. 1 2 "FC verlängert mit El-Mala-Brüdern vorzeitig" [FC extends contracts with El-Mala brothers early] (in German). 1. FC Köln. 19 July 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  9. ↑ Kemper, Jürgen (26 June 2024). "FC holt Bruder-Duo an Bord: "Bringen sehr gute Voraussetzungen mit"" [FC brings brother duo on board: "They bring very good prerequisites"]. Express. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  10. ↑ "Nach langer Leidenszeit: Malek El Mala meldet sich beim 1. FC Köln zurück". Rundschau Online (in German). 13 May 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  11. 1 2 Malek El Mala at DFB (also available in German)
  12. ↑ لبناني هدافاً لكأس أوروبا: سعيد الملاّ نجم ألمانيا الصاعد [Lebanese top scorer in the European Championship: Said El Mala, Germany's rising star]. Al Akhbar. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  13. ↑ Frank, Mirko (4 October 2025). "1. FC Köln: Das ist Kölns neuer Wunder-Junge Said El Mala (19)" [1. FC Köln: This is Cologne's new wonder boy Said El Mala (19)] (in German). Bild. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  14. ↑ "DFB nominiert El-Mala-Brüder" [DFB nominates El Mala brothers] (in German). FC Viktoria Köln. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  15. ↑ "Dänemark U 19 – Deutschland U 19 (m), 5:1" [Denmark U19 – Germany U19 (m), 5–1] (in German). German Football Association. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  16. ↑ Rusche, Valentin (13 March 2025). "Olaf Janßen hofft auf Verbleib von Malek El Mala" [Olaf Janßen hopes Malek El Mala will stay.] (in German). kicker. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  17. ↑ Malek El Mala at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
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