Linton Maina

Linton Maina was born in Berlin to a Kenyan-Malagasy father and a German mother, which leaves him eligible to represent either country, though so far he has only worn German colours at youth level, from under-16 to under-21, without a senior cap for either nation. Kenya's coach, Benni McCarthy, has shown interest in bringing him into the Harambee Stars set-up, but Maina has not yet accepted a call-up.

His path started close to home, through the youth ranks of SV Pfefferwerk and SV Empor Berlin before Hannover 96 took him on. He rose through Hannover's academy and made his senior debut for the club in March 2018, going on to make 91 appearances and score 11 goals across five seasons there.

He moved to 1. FC Köln on a free transfer in 2022 and has since become a regular fixture on the left flank, passing 100 official appearances for the club in February 2025. The following season, Köln won the 2. Bundesliga title and returned to the Bundesliga, with Maina among the squad that secured promotion. He signed a contract extension in May 2025, tying his future to the club a little longer.