'El Maladona' back to where it began - and nearly ended

El Mala's rise to Bundesliga prominence this season has been simply unstoppable. At just 19 years of age, the gifted youngster is already leading the way in the goalscoring charts for his side (tied with teammate Jakub Kamiński) after netting again in the Billygoats's 4-1 downing of Hamburg on Matchday 9. 

It's form that's been rewarded with a maiden Germany call-up. However, success has not come overnight for El Mala, who, alongside his brother Malek (also on Cologne's books), was released by upcoming opponents Gladbach back in 2021, despite long being regarded prior as great prospects at the club's academy.

Watch: El Mala bursting onto the scene in 2025/26

In a recent interview with local radio station Radio Köln, El Mala looked back on how the set-back affected him early on in his career, admitting: “It wasn’t easy to process. Everything went from zero to a hundred - and I was suddenly out. As a 14-year-old, you ask yourself: 'What did I do wrong?'”

Shockingly, Cologne fans may even have Saïd's brother, Malek, to thank for the winger still even playing the beautiful game. After his release, El Mala wanted to leave football behind, but his brother convinced him to keep playing, and they were soon both snapped up by Viktoria Cologne following a successful trial in 2023. 

El Mala hasn't looked back since. His performances in the back end of the 2023/24 season attracted the attention of his current club, but he was subsequently loaned back to Viktoria for 2024/25, where his 13 goals and five assists, earned him the 3. Liga 2024/25 Newcomer of the Season award.

Off the back of that season, El Mala was named in the team of the tournament for his contributions to Germany's UEFA U19 European Championships campaign, posting a competition-high four goals.

Continuing that form into his breakout season in 2025/26, El Mala has attracted many influential admirers, including Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany, who heaped praise on the youngster prior to his side's DFB Cup second-round win in Cologne.

"This kid has this initial acceleration and then a second burst of speed. That surprises many defenders, and he can shoot when running at speed," the Belgian explained. "That feeling of being inactive and then suddenly launching a full-scale counter-attack is, of course, a quality you can use throughout your entire career.”

Watch: Teenagers taking their chance in 2025/26

His own head coach, Lukas Kwasniok, concurs with the Kompany's sentiment, having aptly described his No.13 as “a street footballer with God-given talent”.

Whilst he has also emphasised that El Mala is still rough around the edges and has a lot to learn, it's exactly his raw talent and unpredicatability which is making him so hard for Bundesliga defences to deal with.

As mentioned, El Mala currently leads the way in terms of goals at Cologne, with four in nine Bundesliga appearances. However, seven of those nine outings have been made off the bench, and, with the winger yet to play a full 90 minutes, he has averaged a goal involvement every 68 minutes (having also grabbed one assist).

Nevetheless, Cologne (and El Mala) would be wise not to underestimate Gladbach, who recently claimed their first win of the season in a 4-0 thrashing of St. Pauli.

Watch: St. Pauli 0-4 Gladbach - highlights

That away victory, helped in large part by a Haris Tabaković brace, lifted the Foals off the bottom of the Bundesliga table and into 16th. Gladbach will now want to build on that first win by claiming local bragging rights in the Rhine Derby, which they have tended to have turned up for in the past.

Despite sitting eight places and nine points apart, the historic record between these sides favours the Foals. Interestingly, Gladbach are the team that Cologne have faced most in German football history, having previously met 132 times in all competitions. Of those meetings, the Foals boast 61 wins compared to the Billy Goats' 46 (plus 25 draws).

That said, derbies follow their own rules and, in 'El Maladona', Cologne have a player capable of single-handedly swinging the Rhine pendulum in their favour on Matchday 10.