Hany Mukhtar began his professional career in his home country of Germany, with Hertha BSC. He played for Benfica, going on loan to RB Leipzig. He made some waves for Denmark's Brøndby. Nothing is comparable to his time in MLS so far. Ahead of the 2020 MLS season, Nashville SC took a chance on the unproven attacking midfielder. He became the first Designated Player for the expansion side. It may end up being one of the best decisions in club history.
Mukhtar's Nashville career began at the strangest possible time. On September 12, 2020, he scored his long awaited first goal against Atlanta United. He put across his first brace in the penultimate match of the year against Houston. He kisssed the first off the post and in, before hitting a stunner of a free kick from downtown H-Town. On Decision Day, he capped off the regular season with an equalizing header on Orlando. In the club's first ever playoff game, they faced off with fellow expansion side Inter Miami, and Mukhtar scored during the 3-0 win. They advanced to upset the #2 seeded Toronto FC in extra time, before eventually getting pounded by the Columbus Crew. Mukhtar showed some flashes, but his breakout was still coming.
In 2021, Hany showed the league just how dangerous he was going forward. He scored his first of the year in just the second fixture with Montreal, placing a left footed shot in at the near post. In a May matchup against Atlanta United, he scored two goals about 2.5 minutes apart to tie the game up. On July 17th, Mukhtar notched the first hat trick in Nashville SC history in a home match with the Chicago Fire. This was also the fastest hat trick in MLS history, being completed within the opening 16 minutes. Just 10 minutes in, he scored the first one off a giveaway. Two minutes later, he used a handful of stepovers to curl one to the back post. Three minutes after that, Hany went bar-down on an absolutely perfect free kick. He notched another brace against NYCFC in a 3-1 win later on. He scored in his second consecutive Decision Day with a tight angle free kick, drawing the Red Bulls 1-1. Nashville's third place finish in the East faced them off with Orlando City in the first round. Mukhtar did the double, pushing his team on to visit Philadelphia. He scored a deflected goal early on, then took the lead after a driving run with plenty of step overs. Mukhtar scored the lone goal against Philadelphia with a diving header, but Nashville managed to miss every single penalty kick in the shootout and get sent packing in the worst way. His 16 goals and 12 assists saw him named to the 2021 MLS Best XI.
In the 2022 campaign, things just got even better for Nashville's No. 10. Nashville moved to the Western Conference for just this one season. Before he could find his way into the goal scoring category, he began his season with 4 assists. When he did open his account, he did it twice in a game against San Jose. A far too easy solo run against San Jose started things off. He scored another duo of goals against during a visit to Colorado, including one with more signature stepovers and a roofed strike. In July and June, he scored in five straight MLS matches. He began it with a brace against DC United. He finished off a beautiful team play, and scored another bar-down goal with the help of a deflection. Despite the individual success, Nashville struggled to win games during the stretch. He was becoming reliable for almost their entire attack. Mukhtar scored the lone goal in a massive 1-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders.
He made the 2022 MLS All-Star Team, playing 28 minutes in the win over Liga MX. Straight out of the break, the Music City's playmaker was blazing. He defeated FC Dallas with two more goals in a match. He scored from a near impossible angle in the match. Just two games later, he scored another hat trick against the Colorado Rapids. After opening the scoring with a penalty, he sent one to the far post and a rebound was the third. In the very next match, it was yet another brace against Austin FC. During the incredible run, Hany scored 10 goals in just 7 games. His performances on the year led Nashville to the fifth placed spot in the West, where they crashed out of the playoffs to the LA Galaxy in a very disappointing manner, 1-0. Mukhtar's season consisted of 23 goals and 11 assists. This won him the most coveted individual MLS award, the 2022 MLS MVP. He won the Golden Boot, and made the Best XI. The end result of the season was not thrilling, but his constant display of magic in 2022 was.
The production stayed high for Hany Mukhtar in 2023. He scored 15 times, while adding another 11 assists. This means that in his three full MLS seasons thus far, he has never scored less than 15 goals, or assisted less than 11 times. He scored his first on Orlando City on April Fools' Day, but his run in behind and finish was no joke. In May, he scored his second career hat trick against Chicago, his third total. He smashed a penalty in at the stroke of halftime, then capped it off with a convenient rebound. Later in the month, he put two past Charlotte FC in a 2-1 dub, winning the game from the spot with 20 seconds to spare. Back in the Eastern Conference, he had yet another triple-goal day against the Western Conference leading St. Louis CITY. Just over the 10 minute mark, he tossed one on frame, and it found the back of the net. The low, curling away from the goalkeeper shot he has used on so many occasions worked against MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Roman Burki as well.
After a bit of a cold streak, he scored against Colorado in Leagues Cup. He assisted a whopping 6 goals in the tournament, including a 3-assist game with Minnesota at GEODIS Park. A pretty cross led to an Alex Muyl header. He also scored with a screaming hit to the top left from close range. Mukhtar led his team to the final, but the Messi magic was too much and led to a 10-9 penalties loss. Mukhtar scored his last goal of the year in September, defeating the red hot Sporting Kansas City 3-0 with a side-netting strike. Nashville's middling seventh place finish earned them two playoff dates with Orlando City, both of which ended as 1-0 defeats. Hany made the 2023 MLS All-Star Team with his 26 goal contributions. The Nashville star did not have enough help down the stretch as they were swept in the first round. Nashville will look to make some off-season additions to build a stronger core around the star player and compete for MLS Cup. The 28-year-old MVP has been one of the faces of the league since joining, and continues to perform as one of the league's very best. Hany Mukhtar comes in at #17 for his incredible attacking prowess so far.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2023 | NSH | 2,836 | 15 | 11 |
2022 | NSH | 2,835 | 23 | 11 |
2021 | NSH | 2,505 | 16 | 12 |
2020 | NSH | 1,092 | 4 | 4 |
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