René Wagner urges El Mala ahead of Germany debut

Ahead of his debut for Germany, Cologne coach René Wagner has sent a clear message to youngster Said El Mala. As kicker reports, even with El Mala widely viewed as one of the biggest homegrown talents, Wagner believes there is still more potential to unlock.

Rather than treating the DFB call-up as a finishing line, Wagner frames it as the start of a new stage—one in which El Mala can take his chance while continuing to improve the details that will allow him to rise to an even higher level.

Beyond the immediate debut, kicker notes that the coach is also looking further ahead, pointing to the Nationalelf as a realistic long-term path and stressing that his development doesn’t stop once he wears the shirt for the first time.