Hany Mukhtar

Hany Abubakr Mukhtar (born 21 March 1995) is a Sudanese/German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer.

Hany Mukhtar

Mukhtar in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Hany Abubakr Mukhtar[1]
Date of birth	(1995-03-21) 21 March 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth	Berlin, Germany
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	Nashville SC
Number	10
Youth career
2000–2002	FC Stern Marienfelde
2002–2012	Hertha BSC
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2015	Hertha BSC II	21	(7)
2012–2015	Hertha BSC	17	(0)
2015	Benfica B	1	(1)
2015–2017	Benfica	1	(0)
2015–2016	→ Red Bull Salzburg (loan)	13	(1)
2016–2017	→ Brøndby (loan)	29	(6)
2017–2020	Brøndby	77	(18)
2020–	Nashville SC	145	(66)
International career‡
2009–2010	Germany U15	3	(1)
2010–2011	Germany U16	10	(3)
2011	Germany U17	3	(1)
2013	Germany U18	4	(0)
2014	Germany U19	16	(9)
2014–2016	Germany U20	15	(7)
2016–2017	Germany U21	3	(0)
Medal record Representing  Germany European Under-19 Championship Winner 2014 Hungary
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:57, 20 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 October 2017

Club career

Hertha BSC

Mukhtar began playing football at a very early age, initially for FC Stern Marienfelde. He was recruited into the youth academy of then-Bundesliga club Hertha BSC at the age of seven. Rising through Hertha's ranks, he captained the club's U-17 squad to a Championship title in 2012.^[3] The following season, he joined Hertha's reserves, and was surprisingly called to the first team when Israeli international Ben Sahar missed a match for Yom Kippur.^[4] In the final minute of the match against Dynamo Dresden, Mukhtar came on as a substitute for Ronny,^[5] making him the second youngest professional debutant in Hertha's history.^[4]

Benfica

On 15 January 2015, Mukhtar signed for Portuguese champions Benfica until 2020.^[6] The transfer fee was believed to be €500,000 and Hertha BSC would allegedly participate in a potential resale.^[7] On 10 April 2015, Mukhtar debuted for the reserve team and scored a goal in a home draw against Chaves (2–2) in Segunda Liga.^[8] On 23 May, he played his first match for the first team, as a substitute in a home win against Marítimo (4–1) in their last league match of the season.^{[citation needed]}

On 28 August 2015, he joined Austrian Red Bull Salzburg on a season-long loan deal. Salzburg were also granted a subsequent transfer option.^[9]

Brøndby

For the following season he was again loaned, this time to Danish club Brøndby IF.^[10] On 24 July 2016, he made his Danish Superliga debut by replacing Andrew Hjulsager for the final fifteen minutes of a 2–0 away win over Silkeborg IF.^[11] On 21 August, he scored his first goal for Brøndby in a 7–0 away rout over AGF.^[12]

On 17 April 2017, Brøndby exercised their option to sign Mukhtar permanently from Benfica. Mukthar penned a four-year contract with Brøndby which tied him to the club until the summer 2021.^[13]

On 22 April 2018, Mukhtar was awarded the Superliga Player of the Season,^[14] with him being named on the Superligaen Team of the Year by newspaper B.T.^[15] On 10 May 2018, Mukhtar played as Brøndby beat Silkeborg IF 3–1 in the Danish Cup final.^[16][17]

Nashville SC

On 27 August 2019, Mukhtar became the first designated player in Nashville SC franchise history.^[18] The right to sign him was acquired by Nashville SC from Seattle Sounders FC in exchange for $100,000 in general allocation money.^[19] At the time, Mukhtar had never been to the United States, but agreed to Nashville's terms because his mother was a fan of Johnny Cash and that he was aware of the singer's connection to the city.^[19] Although the transfer became official in August 2019, Mukhtar remained at Brøndby IF until 1 January 2020.^[20][21]

His debut with Nashville SC was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which cancelled all league matches beginning in March 2020; while the league restarted operations during the MLS is Back Tournament in July, Nashville SC withdrew from the tournament due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.^[19] On 12 September 2020, Mukhtar scored his first goal for Nashville in a 2–1 win over Atlanta United FC.^[22] On 17 July 2021, Mukhtar scored the first hat-trick in Nashville SC history over Chicago Fire FC. This was the fastest hat-trick from the start of a game in MLS history;^[23] Mukhtar scored in the 10th, 13th and 16th minutes.^[23] He finished the season with the most combined goals and assists in the season and was a finalist for the Landon Donovan MVP Award, which was eventually awarded to Carles Gil.^[19]

On 31 August 2022, Mukhtar scored his second hat-trick of his career in a 4–1 victory over the Colorado Rapids, the first goal of which was a penalty kick.^[24] On 1 November 2022, Mukhtar was named the 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP after receiving 48.03% of total votes. Mukhtar led the league with 34 goal contributions (23 goals, 11 assists) in 2022, tied for the fifth-most in a single MLS season.^[25]

On 6 May 2023, Mukhtar scored his third career hat-trick in a 3–0 victory over Chicago Fire FC, the second goal of which was a penalty kick. He was also awarded his seventh Player of the Matchday award as a result of his performance.^[26]

International career

A German youth international, Mukhtar scored the only and winning goal for the Germany U19 national team in the 2014 UEFA European Under-19 Championship final against Portugal.^[27] On 1 June 2015, he scored a hat-trick for Germany's under-20 in an 8–1 win against Fiji in his first match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.^[28]

Personal life

Mukhtar was born in Berlin, Germany, to a Polish-German mother and Sudanese father.^[29]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 October 2024^[30]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Hertha BSC II	2012–13	Regionalliga Nordost	13	5	—		—		—		13	5
	2013–14	Regionalliga Nordost	2	0	—		—		—		2	0
	2014–15	Regionalliga Nordost	6	2	—		—		—		6	2
	Total		21	7	—		—		—		21	7
Hertha BSC	2012–13	2. Bundesliga	7	0	0	0	—		—		7	0
	2013–14	Bundesliga	10	0	1	0	—		—		11	0
	2014–15	Bundesliga	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
	Total		17	0	1	0	—		—		18	0
Benfica B	2014–15	Segunda Liga	1	1	—		—		—		1	1
Benfica	2014–15	Primeira Liga	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Red Bull Salzburg (loan)	2015–16	Austrian Bundesliga	13	1	2	0	0	0	—		15	1
Brøndby (loan)	2016–17	Danish Superliga	29	6	5	2	4[b]	1	—		38	9
Brøndby	2017–18	Danish Superliga	36	10	5	0	4[b]	0	—		45	10
	2018–19	Danish Superliga	29	6	3	0	4[b]	1	—		36	7
	2019–20	Danish Superliga	12	2	0	0	0	0	—		12	2
	Total		106	24	13	2	12	2	—		131	28
Nashville SC	2020	MLS	15	4	—		—		3[c]	1	18	5
	2021	MLS	31	16	—		—		2[c]	3	33	19
	2022	MLS	33	23	3	3	—		1[c]	0	37	26
	2023	MLS	34	15	1	0	—		9[d]	2	44	17
	2024	MLS	32	8	0	0	3[e]	1	2[f]	0	37	9
	Total		145	66	4	3	3	1	17	6	169	76
Career total			304	99	20	5	15	3	17	6	360	113

1. Includes DFB-Pokal, Austrian Cup, Danish Cup, U.S. Open Cup
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Appearance(s) in MLS Cup playoffs
4. Seven appearances and two goals in Leagues Cup, two appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
5. Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
6. Appearances in Leagues Cup

Honours

Hertha BSC

• 2. Bundesliga: 2012–13^[30]

Benfica

• Primeira Liga: 2014–15^[30]

Red Bull Salzburg^[30]

• Austrian Bundesliga: 2015–16
• Austrian Cup: 2015–16

Brøndby

• Danish Cup: 2017–18^[16]

Germany U19

• UEFA Under-19 Championship: 2014^[30]

Individual

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2014^[31]
• MLS Best XI: 2021, 2022,^[32] 2023^[33]
• MLS Golden Boot: 2022^[34]
• MLS All-Star: 2022,^[35] 2023,^[36] 2024
• MLS Player of the Month: August 2022,^[37] May 2023^[38]
• MLS Most Valuable Player: 2022^[39]

References

1. "2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup – Club roster: Nashville SC (USA)" (PDF). CONCACAF. 30 January 2024. p. 17. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
2. "Hany Mukhtar". Nashville SC. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
3. "Herthas Top-Talente: Schulz, Mukhtar, Djuricin – drei mit Zukunft" [Hertha's top talents: Schulz, Mukhtar, Djuricin – three with a future] (in German). goal.com. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
4. "Luhukay holt Mukhtar in Hertha-Kader" [Luhukay brings Mukhtar into the Hertha squad] (in German). B.Z. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
5. "Hertha mit 1:0-Heimsieg gegen Dresden" [Hertha with a 1:0 home victory against Dresden] (in German). DFL. 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
6. "Futebol: Hany Mukhtar é reforço do SL Benfica" [Football: Hany Mukhtar joins SL Benfica]. S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
7. "Perfekt! Herthas Mukhtar wechselt zu Benfica" [Perfect! Hertha's Mukhtar transfers to Benfica] (in German). Kicker. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
8. "Benfica B - Chaves (Jornada 38 Segunda Liga 2014-2015) - Liga Portugal" (in Portuguese). LPFP. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
9. "Red Bulls make new signing: Hany Mukhtar joins from Benfica on loan". FC Red Bull Salzburg. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
10. "Brøndby IF indgår lejeaftale med tysk midtbanespiller". Brøndby IF (in Danish). 20 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
11. "Silkeborg IF 0-2 Brøndby IF". superstats.dk. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
12. "AGF 0-7 Brøndby IF". superstats.dk. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
13. Dupont, Nicolai (17 April 2017). "Brøndby skriver kontrakt med Mukhtar" [Brøndby signs contract with Mukhtar]. tipsbladet.dk (in Danish). Tipsbladet. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
14. "Hany Mukhtar Årets Profil I Superligaen". spillerforeningen.dk. Spillerforeningen. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
15. "Brøndby og FCM dominerer: Her er Årets Hold i Superligaen". B.T. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
16. "Brøndby er pokalmester - ender ti års pokaltørke" (in Danish). TV2. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
17. "Live: Brøndby IF - Silkeborg IF". eurosport.com. Eurosport. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
18. Bogert, Tom (27 August 2019). "Nashville SC sign German midfielder Hany Mukhtar as first DP". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
19. Rueter, Jeff (1 November 2022). "How Nashville SC's Hany Mukhtar thrived as a centerpiece, earning MLS MVP". The Athletic. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
20. "Hany Mukhtar skifter til vinter til Nashville SC". brondby.com (in Danish). 27 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
21. "NASHVILLE SC ACQUIRES GERMAN MIDFIELDER HANY MUKHTAR AS FIRST DESIGNATED PLAYER". Nashville SC. 17 August 2019. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
22. "GOAL: Hany Mukhtar opens his MLS account". Nashville SC. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
23. Mukhtar scores fastest hat trick in MLS history Bradenton Herald. Associated Press 18 July 2021
24. Wright, Ben (31 August 2022). "Recap: Hany Mukhtar hat-trick propels Nashville to 4-1 win over Rapids". Broadway Sports Media. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
25. "Nashville SC's Hany Mukhtar named 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
26. "Nashville SC's Hany Mukhtar named Player of the Matchday". mlssoccer.com. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
27. "U 19-Junioren: Europameisterschaft, 2014 in Ungarn, Finale" [U 19-juniors: European championship, 2014 in Hungary, final] (in German). DFB. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
28. "FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 - Matches - Germany-Fiji". FIFA. 1 June 2015. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015. with Hany Mukhtar bagging himself a hat-trick
29. Hany Mukhtar
30. Hany Mukhtar at Soccerway. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
31. "The UEFA Technical Team Team of the Tournament". UEFA. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
32. "2022 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire". Major League Soccer. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
33. "2023 MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire". Major League Soccer. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
34. "Nashville SC's Hany Mukhtar wins 2022 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi". Major League Soccer. 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
35. "2022 MLS All-Star Game Roster". Major League Soccer. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
36. "2023 MLS All-Star Team Roster". Major League Soccer. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
37. "Nashville SC star Hany Mukhtar named August Player of the Month". Major League Soccer. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
38. "Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar named MLS Player of the Month". Major League Soccer. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
39. "Nashville SC's Hany Mukhtar named 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP". Major League Soccer. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.

External links

• Hany Mukhtar at fussballdaten.de (in German)
• Hany Mukhtar at kicker (in German)
• Hany Mukhtar at DFB (also available in German)
• Hany Mukhtar at ForaDeJogo (archived)