Home US SportsMLS EXCLUSIVE: Nashville star Hany Mukhtar on MLS growth, Messi-effect and more

EXCLUSIVE: Nashville star Hany Mukhtar on MLS growth, Messi-effect and more

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EXCLUSIVE: Nashville star Hany Mukhtar on MLS growth, Messi-effect and more

Nashville SC star, and former MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar has seen plenty of growth in his five years at the club; both personally and as a league.

The Berlin born forward has developed into a true star in North America after making the move from Danish side Brøndby in 2020.

Mukhtar signed for Nashville ahead of their inaugural season in MLS, requiring a process of adaptation that top-level footballers rarely have to make in their career. And for Mukhtar, it certainly took some adaptation.

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“For me, I was never in an environment where everyone was new,” Mukhtar said in an exclusive interview with OneFootball. “You needed to get used to it. But the people here have been wonderful.

“I think Nashville is a very unique city, and a very special city. The people are so kind here. It is a blessing that I ended up here.

📸 Brett Davis-Imagn Images

“At the end of the day they wanted me to be the face of the team, and to build the team around me. I loved the idea. It was a great opportunity for me and I am very lucky to be here.”

As he got comfortable with joining a club still laying down their roots in the city and the league, Mukhtar was also forced to adjust to the many quirks foreign players come to meet face-to-face when joining MLS.

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“It was very difficult in the beginning,” he recounted. “One reason was because of Covid, but then also the travel. It was so different from what I was used to in Europe.

“We had maybe three or four games with a plane [in Europe], and the flight time is maybe 45 minutes. But going to different timezones and having four hour flights is very different, and it takes time for the body to get used to it.

“But also the physical level. Most of the players in MLS are athletes, I was very surprised. Of course now I understand that with American football, with basketball, you have to be an athlete and most of the players played different sports growing up.”

As is obligatory when discussing the growth of the league these days, Mukhtar was quick to point out the impact Lionel Messi has had since joining the league from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.

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“A big effect was obviously Messi. We had the luck in Nashville to play [Inter Miami] three or four times in his first season, and go all the way to the Leagues Cup Final against him. We had the win in our hands in the penalty shootout.

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