"I'm a multicultural kid with three different nationalities: Germany, Algeria, and Vietnam," said Ibrahim Maza earlier this year. By then, it had dawned on Julian Nagelsmann — along with 80 million armchair coaches across Germany — that a player like Maza could be a useful asset for the men's national football team.
However, by then it was too late. Maza was already cap-tied with Algeria, the country his father left as a young man to make a new life in Germany.
Roots in Algeria, Vietnam, and Berlin
Maza's father, Sofiane, who hails from Algiers, went on to meet his Vietnamese wife in Germany. Their son, Ibrahim, was born in Berlin in 2005.
His father introduced Ibrahim to his homeland through stories and regular visits back home.
