Mahmoud Dahoud (born 1 January 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the Germany national team.
Dahoud made his debut for Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014, and, in his spell with the club, he made 86 appearances for the club before signing for Borussia Dortmund three years later.
Born in Syria, Dahoud has represented Germany internationally at U18, U19, and U21, and senior level. He was part of the U21 side which won the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Club career
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Mahmoud Dahoud began his career playing at junior level for the Langenfeld soccer club 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 27 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 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. On 16 March 2017, he scored his first ever goal in European competitions, scoring Gladbach's second in a 2–2 Europa League draw with fellow Bundesliga side Schalke. Dahoud's goal, which had put Gladbach 2–0 up at half-time, was not enough to secure his club's progression, however, as a late rally from Schalke saw Gladbach knocked of the competition on the away goals rule.
With only a year left to run on his contract, Gladbach announced on 30 March that Dahoud would be joining fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season for a reported fee of €12m. He ultimately played in 41 matches for the campaign, though he was jeered by Gladbach supporters in his latter appearances due to his impending departure, as the club ended the season in ninth position.