German footballer
Hany Abubakr Mukhtar (born 21 March 1995) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer.
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 only seven. Rising through Hertha's ranks, he captained the club's U-17 squad to a Championship title in 2012.[2] 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.[3] In the final minute of the match against Dynamo Dresden, Mukhtar came on as a substitute for Ronny,[4] making him the second youngest professional debutant in Hertha's history.[3]
Benfica
On 15 January 2015, Mukhtar signed for Portuguese champions Benfica until 2020.[5] The transfer fee was believed to be €500,000 and Hertha BSC would allegedly participate in a potential resale.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
Brøndby
For the following season he was again loaned, this time to Danish club Brøndby IF.[9] 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.[10] On 21 August, he scored his first goal for Brøndby in a 7–0 away rout over AGF.[11]
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.[12]
On 22 April 2018, Mukhtar was awarded the Superliga Player of the Season,[13] with him being named on the Superligaen Team of the Year by newspaper B.T.[14] On 10 May 2018, Mukhtar played as Brøndby beat Silkeborg IF 3–1 in the Danish Cup final.[15][16]
Nashville SC
On 27 August 2019, Mukhtar became the first designated player in Nashville SC franchise history.[17] Although the transfer became official in August 2019, he remained at Brøndby IF until 1 January 2020.[18][19] On 12 September 2020, Mukhtar scored his first goal for Nashville in a 2–1 win over Atlanta United FC.[20]
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;[21] Mukhtar scored in the 10th, 13th and 16th minutes.[21]
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.[22] 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.[23]
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.[24]
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.[25] 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.[26]
Personal life
Mukhtar was born in Berlin, Germany, to a German mother (Ursula)[27] and a Sudanese father.[28] He has one elder brother. He is married to Ashley Gowder.[29]
