Hany Mukhtar is the highest paid footballer at Nashville SC, last year was the number two when choosing the most valuable professional of the Major League Soccer – and is almost unknown in Germany.
“For me, that’s not that bad. I enjoy life here, that’s really nice. I live my dream, I play in America football. That can not say many of themselves,” said the offensive player of the “German Press Agency” Before the start of the season at the weekend with the kick-off in Seattle. “Many say it’s a boring league and a league for older people. I do not see that, I can further develop here.”
The fact that Mukhtar is largely unknown in Germany is because the MLS is still awesome especially if a great name changes from European football – see Bastian Schweinsteiger, Zlatan Ibrahimovic or David Beckham. The league has another claim, 2026 the US is with Canada and Mexico WM hosts. Although professionals are still coming rather on the target in their career as well as recently ex-Bundesliga-Profi Xherdan Shaqiri, who went to Chicago Fire. But increasingly there are also stories like those of Alphonso Davies.
Mukhtar played in the youth of Hertha BSC
The outer defender from Canada was still a special case with the change from the MLS to FC Bayern Munich. The transfers of Ricardo Pepi to FC Augsburg, Kevin Paredes to the VfL Wolfsburg and George Bello to Arminia Bielefeld in the German winter break are all signals for the Bundesliga as other European top leagues the MLS now recognizes as a pool for talents that are can develop in North America. This in turn helps with the attractiveness of players like Mukhtar, who won after his training in the Youth of Hertha BSC Title in Portugal, Austria and Denmark and is in the best footballer age at 26 years.
The Berliner sees the abilities for the great European leagues, but does not feel pressure. “I am convinced that I have the potential to play in Europe. If it has to be? No, I feel good here. I can continue playing my career here, so I have no problem at all,” he said. “It’s a very, very exciting league, very attractive football every week and there are many goals. The teams play on victory, you see a lot of talent in the league. She is growing and in the next few years she will be better.”
Star player at Nashville SC
Mukhtar is in Nashville’s players to build the team for two years and benefits from a special role that was once introduced for Beckham. As a so-called “designated player”, his salary is considered only a small part of the upper limit, which must comply with each team and which is about five million dollars. Each team can have a maximum of three professionals in the squad that earn significantly more than the other players.
For Mukhtar, this was $ 1.505 million in the past season – five of his above all younger teammates, however, were only the $ 63,547 minimum wage. “In training or cabin, it is not a big topic with us. At the end of the day that’s an honor and one tries to meet the honor,” said Mukhtar.
Especially in the past season, the professional succeeded by a lot of game wit. In 33 games he came to 19 goals and ten templates, in the MVP election he became second. However, in the quarter-finals on the way to the hoped-for championship after his leadership in the regular playing time, there was also a given trial in penalties and the out of Philadelphia Union about defender Kai Wagner. “That was very, very bitter,” Mukhtar said. Because, “I take that seriously here, I want to get better, I also want to achieve something with the team.”