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Shafiq Nandja signs first professional contract with HSV

The 19-year-old centre-back, who made his first Bundesliga appearances during the run-in, has extended his stay with the Rothosen and signed his first professional contract. Claus Costa describes it as “the next logical step in his development.”

Hamburger SV have secured the long-term future of centre-back Shafiq Nandja. The Hamburg-born academy graduate, who has been with the club since 2018 after joining HSV’s youth setup as an 11-year-old, has now put pen to paper on his first professional deal with the Rothosen. The extension is another sign of HSV’s commitment to building stronger links between the academy and first team.

“Shafiq has fully earned this step through hard work and discipline,” explained HSV sporting director Claus Costa. “We made the decision in the winter to use him to help cover the gap in the first-team squad left by Gui Ramos’ departure. Shafiq repaid that trust, performed consistently well in training and earned his first Bundesliga appearances as a result. The contract extension is therefore the next logical step in his development.” The contract also marks a special milestone for Nandja himself. The defender has developed steadily at HSV over recent years and, thanks to his strong performances, has earned the chance to take the next step. “As someone born in Hamburg who has spent many years in HSV’s academy, signing this contract is a dream come true for me. I’m proud to have reached this milestone. At the same time, I know that I’m still at the beginning of my journey and need to keep working hard in order to establish myself in the Bundesliga team in the long run,” said Nandja.

A steady rise

Shafiq Bello Nandja was born in Hamburg on 15th January 2007 and joined HSV from Hamburger Türk-Sport’s youth setup in summer 2018. Since then, the centre-back has come through every age group in the Rothosen academy and developed into one of the most promising defensive talents at the club. In the 2025/26 season just gone, he was already a regular for the Rothosen’s Regionalliga side with 24 appearances – despite still being eligible for U19 football – and became increasingly involved with the HSV first team during the second half of the campaign. Nandja then earned his first call-ups to the matchday squad in the final weeks of the season and became the 468th Bundesliga player in HSV history during the 3-2 home win over SC Freiburg on 10th May. With his first professional contract now signed, HSV and Shafiq Nandja will now continue working together on the next stage of his development.