He went from 3rd division to Bundesliga superstar instantly

There’ve been several youngsters in the Bundesliga who’ve burst onto the scene this season. At only 17 years old, Lennart Karl has made himself into a regular starter for Bayern Munich, which is quite the accomplishment given how tough it is to crack their starting XI. We’ve already done a deep dive on Yan Diomandé, who’s had a meteoric rise from the DME Academy in Florida to being a starting winger for one of the biggest clubs in Germany in RB Leipzig. Can Uzun had a great start to the season after assuming more attacking responsibilities following the departures of Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike. 

Another teenager who the hype train is gaining steam is Said El Mala. His track record before this season included scoring double digit goals with Viktoria Köln during his age 16 and 17 seasons in both the U19 Bundesliga and 3. Liga. Even still, you don’t expect teenagers to have a combined goals and assist per 90 rate approaching 1 in a top 5 league. The underlying production has also been impressive, threading the needle of being a high usage dribbler with strong shot quality.

If there was an adjective to describe El Mala’s skill set, it’d be fearless. He is constantly looking to beat opposing fullbacks in 1v1s. Even when faced with a 1v2, he’ll try to get to the byline or split the gap to get inside. This mindset has helped him generate a plentiful amount of chances for himself. According to Opta Analyst, among players in the Bundesliga who’ve played at least 400 minutes, no one has more carries which end in a shot than El Mala’s 1.99 per 90 minutes. 

Despite being almost one-footed with his dribbling, he’s a threat to cut inside or attack the byline. Part of what makes him an astute dribbler is how economic he is in sizing up his fullback with clean touches, and the aggressiveness in immediately looking to square up defenders. When moving inside, his burst with the 2nd step and change of tempo helps him gain inside position. His use of shimmies vs recovering defenders helps open up potential shooting opportunities, and he can absorb contact from riding challenges. He can be susceptible to settling for low quality shots in those situations. That said, he’s also capable of the spectacular, including his goal vs Augsburg. 

Because of how direct El Mala’s playstyle is, he’s functioned as a tertiary playmaker this season. He’s had several matches this season where he’s attempted less than 10 passes. Some of this is due to how Köln play in-possession, but his style of play makes him less of a passer. As a result, it’s not a surprise that his open play xG assisted is a lot lower compared to the value of his own shots he’s generated. According to FBRef, among Bundesliga wingers and attacking midfielders, he’s in the 20th percentile for key passes per 90, 22nd for passes into the box per 90, and 56th for crosses into the box. The constant need to attack off the dribble (and sometimes being guilty of having his head down) means he’ll miss some passing windows, although he’s shown some touch with his right-footed crossing towards the far post. 

Without the ball, El Mala has shown a bit of promise, although it’s certainly been the case that the chaotic nature of the Bundesliga has helped him get quality shots off. Once a turnover is generated in the opposition half, he’s looking to sprint in behind. This is also the case in moments when he’s positioned centrally and trying to make straight line runs through the middle when a teammate receives in pockets of space. In Köln’s 1-1 draw versus St. Pauli, he spent the first half moonlighting as a striker, trying to stretch the opposing backline. Once he receives the pass, he’ll try to move across the last defender to take him out of the play and open up a clear shooting opportunity. He’ll also regularly make runs along the left flank to set up his dribbling. Although he’s taken a ton of shots from the wide left zone of the box, there’ve been a few down the middle from taking advantage of counters.

El Mala has displayed an interesting skill-set for a winger in his first season of top flight football. Players of his archetype who are heavy volume dribblers don’t often have good shot locations to their name, but in nearly 800 minutes of play, he’s been able to accomplish this. The lack of playmaking could limit the total value he provides. However, becoming more prolific off the ball can mitigate those concerns to some extent. Some of his production has been due to the impact of substitute effects, with him producing five goals and assists in his sub appearances. He’s still been a net-positive in the minutes he’s started. The Bundesliga is also arguably the most attacker friendly league of the big 5, which makes it a good development spot. 

There have been some shortcomings which El Mala has displayed so far. One of them is the lack of a left foot to his game. Although he’s shown a bit of willingness to try crosses on his weaker foot, the shooting has been wayward. It could be a problem for him as he plays more minutes and other clubs start gameplanning against him. He can also be guilty of telegraphing his intentions of dribbling inwards, which might explain his success rate being at only 40%. 

There’s a comparison to be had between El Mala and Diomandé. Both are in their age 18 season and have put up 8 goals and assists through the first half of the season. The two of them provide significant value with their off the dribble prowess, ranking among the best in Europe for dribble and carry on-ball value. Between the two, Diomandé has a quicker first step, yet El Mala might be more direct with his carrying and dribbling intentions. Neither would be considered advanced playmakers, while El Mala shows a greater willingness to operate off the ball through movement. Both have shown to be electric prospects in their own way as largely direct wingers.

783 minutes does not make a career, but it’d be hard to deny El Mala’s hot start. It’s not every day you see teenage attackers produce at the level he’s been at, even after accounting for sub effects and the friendly environment of the Bundesliga. At his best, he’s been electrifying this season and caused several headaches for defenders in Germany. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs in the 2nd half of the season, with opponents putting more emphasis on slowing him down. How much will his flaws become a bigger part of the overall picture? What can’t be denied is that at only 19 years old, Said El Mala has been one of the better players in German football this season.

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