| 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.) | 11 | (5) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024 | Germany U19 | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 2 November 2025 ‡ 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]
International career
Born in Germany, El Mala is of Lebanese descent through his father.[10][11] In May 2024, he was called up to the Germany national under-19 team for a friendly against Denmark,[12] and made his appearance as a half-time substitute in a 5–1 defeat.[13]
Style of play
Originally a centre-back, El Mala converted to a striker with Viktoria Köln's under-19s in early 2024.[14]
Career statistics
- As of match played 2 November 2025[15][16]
| Club | Season | League | DFB-Pokal | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Viktoria Köln | 2023–24 | 3. Liga | 1 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1. FC Köln | 2024–25 | 2. Bundesliga | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Viktoria Köln (loan) | 2024–25 | 3. Liga | 19 | 3 | — | 3[a] | 2 | 22 | 5 | |
| 1. FC Köln II (res.) | 2025–26 | Regionalliga West | 11 | 5 | — | — | 11 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 35 | 10 | ||
- ^ a b Appearance(s) in Middle Rhine Cup
Honours
Viktoria Köln
- Middle Rhine Cup: 2025
References
- ^ "Malek El Mala" (in German). 1. FC Köln. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ Weis, Peter (6 November 2025). "FEATURE | Said El Mala's journey from 'Ruhrpott Reject' to the German national team". OneFootball. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Unsere Jugend ist voller Stolz" [Our youth are full of pride] (in German). Linner SV. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2025 – via Facebook.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "DFB nominiert El-Mala-Brüder" [DFB nominates El Mala brothers] (in German). FC Viktoria Köln. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Malek El Mala at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ^ Malek El Mala at DFB (also available in German)
External links
- Malek El Mala at Global Sports Archive
