From Hertha BSC youth to the world of football – Hany Mukhtar has won titles in Portugal, Austria and Denmark and is now the main man at Nashville SC in MLS, soon to be top scorer. And a candidate for the World Cup squad from national coach Hansi Flick?
The top nations in Europe are treating themselves to a veritable crisis. Before the desert World Cup begins in Qatar in eight weeks, one national soccer team after the other is pushing out of the role of favourites. Right in the middle: the DFB team. While the euphoria was huge last year and the trust in the new national coach Hansi Flick enormous, belief in the Christmas title has been dwarfed for months. Disillusionment takes hold. A defeat against Hungary (0:1) and a wild draw (3:3) against England in the past few days have not helped to turn the mood around again.
Flick gives the reminder. But also the optimists. He still believes in a really good World Cup. Athletic. So that no misunderstandings arise. He can take 26 players with him into the desert. That’s three more than usual. This means that surprises are possible. He has just unpacked one with central defender Armel Bella-Kotchap. Are there more in Qatar (or in the nomination before)? As reported by the “Bild” newspaper, Flick is considering appointing a classic centre-forward. Niclas Füllkrug is considered a top candidate in the mainstream media. Often traded: Youssoufa Moukoko, the child prodigy of BVB. Simon Terodde is also mentioned. Both provide plenty of goals – but they have yet to prove themselves at the highest level. This also applies to 27-year-old Hany Mukhtar.
What speaks against Mukhtar: He is not a center forward. What speaks for Mukhtar: He hits and hits. And he masters the successful pass to score. His record from Major League Soccer (MLS), where he plays for Nashville SC, is impressive. In 85 games since moving to MLS in early 2020, he has scored 50 goals and assisted 21. After stints at Benfica Lisbon, Red Bull Salzburg and Brondby IF, he has finally arrived. He has just been named Player of the Week for the fourth time. According to official figures, no other player has won the election with votes from journalists and fans so often since his league debut.
Is that enough to be considered by Flick? Mukhtar does not know. But he doesn’t rule it out. “It sounds a bit absurd with the national team – but why shouldn’t you dream? Every child does that and it’s not impossible!” He told “Sport Bild” and added: “I step on the gas, shoot every year my 20 goals, give ten assists. Then you’ll see what happens – that’s all I can do.”
When asked by “Kicker” what he would do if Flick needed him, he said: “Then I’ll run to Qatar.” Dreaming is allowed. “I still know a lot of the guys.” He has experienced enough what it feels like to wear a DFB jersey. From the U15 he went through all the selected teams, became European champion in 2014 with the U19, together with Joshua Kimmich and Julian Brandt. It was Mukhtar who scored the golden goal in the final against Portugal. He completed his last selection game in 2017 for the U21s. In the Bundesliga, he played ten games in the 2013/14 season, but the fast and tricky professional from the Hertha BSC squad never gained a foothold.
Mukhtar knows that the leagues in Germany, England, Spain and Italy are still of significantly better quality than Major League Soccer. Many in his environment advised him to change after the first two good years. But the number 10 decided to stay. “I’ve learned in my career that sometimes it’s more important to be happy and appreciate the moment and what you have than to look for a new challenge right away and then maybe not be happy. That’s why I have too made the decision that I would extend and stay here,” Mukhtar told the German Press Agency. He is happy with his three-year contract plus an option for a fourth season and the role as an absolute fixture in Nashville. “I can develop here too. The league is getting better.”
This is also due to the big, aging stars who are now kicking in the USA. For example, former Leverkusen and Real Madrid pro Chicharito, former Bayern pros Xherdan Shaqiri and Douglas Costa and Welsh star Gareth Bale. But Mukhtar stands out. In 30 games he has scored 23 goals and provided seven assists. He is top scorer, best scorer and probably soon player of the season. “If you’re top scorer and favorite for the MVP two games before the end, then you want both. I’m so ambitious, I won’t say anything else. I’ll give it my all in these two games,” said Mukhtar, looking at the games against Houston and Los Angeles FC in early October. The fact that the international break is now slowing down his good run is not ideal, “but I will use the time and recover”.
Will he, who after his training in Hertha’s youth became champions in Austria with Salzburg, champions in Portugal with Benfica and cup winners in Denmark with Brondby, take the step back to Germany at some point and attack in the Bundesliga? “Does it tickle me to prove it to everyone in the Bundesliga? Yes. Does it definitely have to be before the end of my career? No,” said Mukhtar. Because life in Nashville is very good. And very successful. Hansi Flick will know that for sure.
