Mahmoud Dahoud



Mahmoud Dahoud (born 1 January 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Borussia Mönchengladbach and the German U21 team.

Gladbach
Mahmoud Dahoud began his career playing at junior level for Germania Reusrath and Fortuna Düsseldorf before signing for Gladbach at the age of 14 in 2010. He then spent the next five seasons developing in Gladbach's academy before breaking into the first team in 2014.

2014-15 season
On 28 August 2014, Dahoud was handed his first team debut by manager Lucien Favre in a 7-0 Europa League play-off win over FK Sarajevo, coming off the bench in the 55th minute to replace Christoph Kramer. Just a week prior to making his first appearance for Gladbach, Dahoud had signed his first professional contract, agreeing a deal to keep him at the club until June 2018. He only made two more senior appearances over the course of the season, one in the Europa League against Apollon and the other at the end of the season against Borussia Dortmund to make his Bundesliga debut. Upon making his debut, Dahoud became the first Syrian born player to ever play in the Bundesliga.

2015-16 season
Following the sacking of Favre early in the 2015-16 Bundesliga season, Dahoud saw his game time increase with Die Fohlen, establishing himself as a key figure in new manager André Schubert's midfield. He scored his first goal for the club on 23 September 2015 in Schubert's debut game in charge, netting Gladbach's fourth goal in a 4-2 win over FC Augsburg. The week prior to Favre's departure, Dahoud made his Champions League debut against Sevilla from the bench before making his full debut against Man City under Schubert later in the month. The immediate impact made by Dahoud in his new starting berth was recognized by the supporters who voted him as the Fans' Player of the Month for September. In October, he received a standing ovation from the Eintracht Frankfurt supporters after delivering an all-conquering performance against their side, scoring once and setting up another two in a 5-1 win. The following year, on Valentine's Day, Dahoud netted the match winning goal in the Rhine Derby against Köln. At the conclusion of the season, Dahoud had made 32 league appearances, scoring 5 goals and assisting 9 as Gladbach ended fourth in the Bundesliga, thereby qualifying for the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League qualifiers.

2016-17 season
In August 2016, Dahoud's agent revealed that he had rejected a new contract with Gladbach based on the understanding that he would be allowed to leave the club at the end of the season. This followed strong reports that Premier League side Liverpool and reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain had approached Gladbach for his signature. He made his first appearance of the season on 20 August in a 1-0 DFB Pokal win over SV Drochtersen/Assel. He scored his first goal of the season on 26 November, netting the opener in Gladbach's 1-1 Bundesliga draw with Hoffenheim.

International career
Having previously represented Germany at U18 and U19 level, Dahoud made his debut for the German U21 from the bench in a 4–1 win over the Faroe Islands on 24 March 2016 before making his full debut a week later against Russia.

Club
1 Includes DFB Pokal matches. 2 Includes UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League matches.

Personal life
Dahoud is a Kurd and was born in Amuda, a town in Syria with a Kurdish majority close to the Turkish border. He was taken to Germany as an infant by his parents who fled from the Assad regime in 1996.