Linton Maina’s playing time with 1. FC Köln was cut in half last season. Yet he never considered leaving. The winger feels good, senses René Wagner’s confidence in him, and wants to repay that trust.
Linton Maina was naturally in good spirits when he entered the mixed zone after the 2-1 win over Real Sociedad. Just the day before, in the first friendly against the Spanish side (2-0), the winger had missed a penalty kick as a substitute. But he seized his chance to start and made his mark.
And not just because of his goal, which put Cologne in the lead after just five minutes. Taking advantage of a fumble by Yangel Herrera, Maina got on the end of a long ball from Isak Johannesson, rounded the goalkeeper, and slotted it home with ease. “I took a chance, looked for an opening, and then, of course, had a bit of luck. It was actually that simple,” Maina said of his goal.
Maina feels “very comfortable” in a more central role
As the game progressed, the 27-year-old—who started nominally as a right winger—remained active, repeatedly cutting into the middle and occasionally appearing on the left. “Said is good one-on-one, so he stays a bit wider on the left. And I try to stay connected in the center and be there when the long passes come to Ragy,“ Maina explained his role. ”I feel very comfortable in this slightly more central position. If you stick to the wing, you naturally have to wait for the ball to come to you. This way, I feel like I can participate a bit more in the game.”
He did just that and showed that he’s still a force to be reckoned with after his weakest season yet in an FC jersey. Maina played only about 1,000 Bundesliga minutes last year; in the three seasons prior, he’d always played at least 1,900. A broken rib sidelined him for a while; overall, he came off the bench 15 times and started just nine matches. His tally of two goals and two assists left much to be desired—especially after he had contributed 14 points to the team’s promotion in 2024–25.
Departure? “I’ve never had those concerns”
This has already sparked initial speculation about a departure. But Maina wants nothing to do with that. “I don’t expect to leave. I’ve never had those concerns,” the Berlin native said, reaffirming his ambition to take on the challenge once again in Cologne, where he feels “extremely comfortable.” There, he’s competing with Jan Thielmann for the right wing position—assuming the FC doesn’t bring in any more players.
“I know where I stand with René,” Maina said of his role. “He’s told me that he’s satisfied with me, that I’m doing well, and above all, that we’re doing well as a team.” Ever since his arrival in 2022, he’s trained for a year and a half under Wagner, who was then still an assistant to Steffen Baumgart. “We get along well, and I hope that I can somehow repay the trust he places not only in me, but in all of us.”
After Wagner took over as head coach, Maina came off the bench five times in the final stretch of last season and started twice. He hasn’t been involved in a goal yet during that time. But he’s working hard to make sure that changes soon.