2023 Designated Players | Hany Mukhtar
Mukhtar was named as 2022 MLS MVP, thanks to 30 goal contributions (23 goals, 7 assists). The 27-year-old German attacking midfielder is expected to lead Nashville SC to the playoffs.
Hany Mukhtar was named 2022 MLS Most Valuable Player, after scoring 23 goals and providing 7 assists. In the 2022 regular season he reported the league’s highest number of Expected Goals (22.13), of xT from carries (2.24), of xOVA (13.8) and of Shooting Goals Added (6.89). The big question mark is whether the German attacking midfielder will now be able to sustain a much higher level of expectations.
Beginnings
Hany Abubakr Mukhtar is a German-Egyptian attacking midfielder who currently plays for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer (MLS). Born on March 21, 1995, in Berlin, he began his football career in his hometown club, Hertha Zehlendorf, before joining the youth academy of Hertha Berlin at the age of 11.
Mukhtar quickly rose through the ranks of the Hertha Berlin academy, impressing coaches and scouts with his skills and creativity. In 2012, he made his debut for Hertha Berlin's first team, becoming the second youngest player to play for the club at the time.
In 2015 he signed for Benfica, but after debuting he was loaned twice: first in Austria to RB Salzburg, then in Denmark to Brøndby IF, who then exercised their option to sign Mukhtar from Benfica.
Here all the goals he scored for Brøndby:
Mukhtar's impressive performances in Denmark caught the attention of MLS club Nashville SC, who signed him as a Designated Player ahead of their debut season in 2020. Mukhtar made an immediate impact for Nashville SC, scoring the club's first-ever goal in a 2-1 win over Atlanta United in the MLS is Back Tournament. He went on to score four goals and provide four assists in his debut season, helping Nashville SC reach the playoffs in their first year in the league.
Mukhtar has continued to be an important player for Nashville SC in the 2021 season, scoring important goals and providing assists for his teammates. He has become a fan favorite in Nashville, with his skills and creativity on the field earning him a reputation as one of the league's best attacking midfielders.
Finally, in the 2022 season season, after scoring 23 goals and providing 7 assists, he was named Most Valuable Player of the MLS. Here’s a video with all of his 23 goals.
Playing style and advanced metrics
Mukhtar is a player who is not afraid to take shots, as evidenced by his 3.44 shots per 90 minutes and his shooting accuracy of 46.9%. He has a powerful shot and is capable of scoring from a variety of angles and positions on the field. His expected goals per 90 minutes of 0.47 shows that he consistently creates high-quality goal-scoring opportunities for himself, even from distance (xG per shot of 0.10).
Mukhtar's creativity is another essential facet of his playing style. Averaging 2.39 chances created per 90 minutes, he consistently puts his teammates in goal-scoring positions. His Expected Assists (xA) per 90 minutes of 0.17 indicates that his creative contributions often lead to tangible results. Mukhtar's direct goal involvement per 90 minutes is 0.88, underlining his significant impact on the team's attacking output.
In terms of his passing game, Mukhtar is a reliable and efficient distributor of the ball. Attempting 32.0 passes per 90 minutes and boasting a passing accuracy of 81.3%, he is adept at retaining possession and circulating the ball to maintain pressure on the opposition. Despite his Expected Threat (xT) from passes per 90 minutes being relatively low at 0.02, his ability to create chances and assist teammates more than compensates for this statistic.
Mukhtar is also a skillful dribbler, attempting 3.25 dribbles per match. His dribbling success ratio of 49.2% showcases his ability to navigate tight spaces and evade defenders. This skill creates openings for his team and increases his Expected Threat from carries per 90 minutes to 0.05, adding another dimension to his attacking arsenal.
The following video shows a good combination of his dribbling and assisting skills: against CF Montréal, after a perfect dribbling, he starts a fast vertical run from his own half and then give the ball to Shaffelburg for Nashville’s 1-0.
One area where Mukhtar might struggle is in aerial duels, with a success ratio of only 30.3%. However, given his primary role as an attacking midfielder, his aerial abilities are less critical to his overall effectiveness on the pitch.
Performance trends
Hany Mukhtar’s non-penalty expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes have risen dramatically from 0.21 in 2020 to 0.53 in 2022, reflecting a steady and remarkable growth in his goal-scoring abilities. The increase in non-penalty xG per 90 minutes highlights his enhanced capability to position himself effectively and create scoring opportunities without relying on penalties, a testament to his refined skills and footballing acumen.
In addition to his goal-scoring prowess, Mukhtar's open-play expected assists (xA) per 90 minutes have also witnessed a significant uptick. Starting from a modest 0.06 in 2020, he managed to double his contribution by 2022, reaching an impressive 0.18 xA per 90 minutes. This underscores his development as a playmaker, capable of setting up his teammates for goal-scoring opportunities through clever passes and vision on the field.
Mukhtar's ability to influence games has further been demonstrated by his growth in expected threat (xT) from passes and carries per 90 minutes. In 2020, he registered an xT from passes per 90 minutes of just 0.00, a figure that has since increased to 0.04 in 2022. This indicates his growing proficiency in making impactful passes that put his team in advantageous positions. Moreover, his xT from carries per 90 minutes has experienced a similar upward trend, rising from 0.03 in 2020 to 0.07 in 2022, which points to his improved capacity to drive the ball forward and create dangerous situations for opponents.
SWOT Analysis
SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool used to identify and analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of an individual or organization.
Here's a SWOT analysis for Nashville SC's attacking midfielder Hany Mukhtar:
Strengths:
Strong technical skills: Hany Mukhtar is known for his exceptional technical skills in football, including his dribbling, passing, and shooting abilities.
Creativity: Hany Mukhtar is a creative player who can come up with innovative solutions and plays on the field.
Experience: Hany Mukhtar has played at a high level of football in Germany, including for clubs like RB Leipzig and Hertha BSC, giving him valuable experience.
Weaknesses:
Inconsistency: Hany Mukhtar has struggled with inconsistency at times, which can affect his overall impact on the team.
Physicality: Hany Mukhtar may struggle in physical battles with opposition players due to his smaller stature.
Defensive capabilities: Hany Mukhtar may need to improve his defensive skills to contribute more effectively to the team's overall strategy.
Opportunities:
Peak time: Mukhtar is 27 years old and entering the peak of his playing career, a two-to-four-year period that he and Nashville SC could exploit.
Threats:
Expectations: the biggest threat I see - apart from injuries - has to do with the much higher threshold that Mukhtar set after winning the MVP title in 2022.
Conclusions: Ready for the hype?
Hany Abubakr Mukhtar is a German-Egyptian attacking midfielder currently playing for Nashville SC in MLS, having previously played for clubs like Hertha Berlin, Benfica, RB Salzburg, and Brøndby IF.
Mukhtar was named the MLS Most Valuable Player in 2022, scoring 23 goals and providing 7 assists that season.
His playing style features strong technical skills, creativity, and a willingness to take shots, with impressive statistics in chances created and direct goal involvement.
Mukhtar's non-penalty expected goals and open-play expected assists per 90 minutes have shown steady growth, reflecting his development as a goal-scorer and playmaker.
A SWOT analysis identifies strengths in technical skills and creativity, weaknesses in inconsistency and physicality and opportunities in his peak playing years.
The main threat I see is in meeting high expectations after his MVP win.