Surprise: BVB starlet opts for a move | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund's youth player Elias Benkara has chosen to play for the Algerian national team. The 18-year-old wants to continue his international career wearing the jersey of the North African country.

A talent from Borussia Dortmund is embarking on an international career with a different association: Elias Benkara, a central defender from Borussia Dortmund's U23 team, has decided to play for the Algerian national team in the future. According to information from Transfermarkt.de, the decision was made back in August after the 18-year-old held talks with the presidency of the Algerian Football Federation.

Born in Frankfurt am Main, Benkara holds both German and Algerian citizenship thanks to his father. So far, he has played once for Germany's U15 and twice for the U17 team. As his chances of playing for the DFB senior team currently seem slim, the central defender chose to take the step towards North Africa – a significant milestone in his international career.

The 1.93-meter tall defender is considered strong in duels and intelligent in play. He transferred from the youth team of FSV Mainz 05 to Dortmund in 2021, where he has since progressed through the youth teams from U17 to U19.

BVB Talent Elias Benkara Chooses Algeria Over DFB

In the summer of 2024, Benkara was promoted to the squad of the second team in the Regionalliga West. There, he has made a brief appearance so far, but has also gained minutes in the Youth League and the DFB-Pokal for juniors. Since the end of September, he has been regularly in the U19 starting lineup, most recently in the 3-1 victory in the Revierderby against VfL Bochum on October 31.

A debut for Algeria could follow as early as November, when the "Desert Foxes" play friendly matches against Zimbabwe (November 13) and Saudi Arabia (November 18). The Algerian federation apparently sees Benkara as an investment in the future – a player trained in Germany who is expected to strengthen the national team in the long run.

With his decision, Benkara follows a trend: Already in 2024, former Hertha professional Ibrahim Maza, now under contract with Bayer Leverkusen, also chose the Algerian federation.

Elias Benkara, who is under contract with BVB until June 2026, can open up new perspectives with this switch – perhaps even with an eye on the Africa Cup and the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.