Surprising reason: Why El Mala really turned down Dortmund | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund would probably love to have a player like Said El Mala in their squad today. The Cologne shooting star explains himself why he turned down BVB despite a concrete offer.

Said El Mala is one of the big surprises of this Bundesliga season. The winger from 1. FC Köln has drawn attention with six goals and three assists, and in November was called up for the national team for the first time by head coach Julian Nagelsmann. All the more frustrating from Dortmund’s perspective that El Mala turned down an offer from BVB in the summer of 2024.

A move to Borussia Dortmund was actually close. The club wanted to sign El Mala, but chose not to also offer a contract to his brother Malek. For Said El Mala, that was a decisive factor. “That took it off the table for me,” the 19-year-old said in an interview with the magazine 11Freunde.

Both brothers have followed the same sporting path for years. After stints at Borussia Mönchengladbach, TSV Meerbusch, and Viktoria Köln, 1. FC Köln finally secured the services of both talents. Despite a transfer ban, FC found a solution, initially “parking” the brothers on loan at Viktoria Köln and then tying them to the club long-term.

Said El Mala’s Bitter Rejection of BVB

While Said is now making waves in the Bundesliga, Malek mainly plays for FC’s Regionalliga team. There, the 20-year-old center forward has scored five goals in eleven matches. He doesn’t feel envious of the hype around his brother. “We wish each other the best. What Said achieves feels like I’m achieving it too,” Malek explained. What makes him especially proud is “that he makes our parents happy – that’s what makes me happiest.”

The brothers are inseparable off the pitch as well. They live together in a shared apartment in Cologne’s Ehrenfeld district – another sign of how close their relationship is. This bond was ultimately also the reason why Said El Mala chose Cologne over Dortmund.

So far, this decision has paid off in sporting terms. El Mala is a key player for FC and has long since caught the eye of top international clubs. According to reports, several Premier League clubs are ready to dig deep into their pockets. For BVB, the realization remains that they could really use the Cologne shooting star today – and that they might have gotten him if they had signed both brothers back then.

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