He was an obvious talking point on the eve of England’s Nations League match against Germany on Tuesday night - and Jamal Musiala certainly didn’t disappoint.
As the boy who left Chelsea ’s famed academy for Bayern Munich, and as the boy who chose to represent Die Mannschaft instead of the Three Lions, Musiala was always going to receive attention – even if he had featured for Germany against England less than a year ago.
Back at Euro 2020, Musiala was just a 92nd-minute substitute and his thunder was stolen by England’s 2-0 win at Wembley. This time, the 19-year-old midfielder was centre stage and on home ground in Munich. And although he didn’t score – and the game ended in a 1-1 draw – he still managed to stand out.
Handed a free role alongside veteran Thomas Muller in Hansi Flick’s 3-4-3 formation, Musiala showed just why he has been so highly rated and hyped since such a young age. The attack-minded midfielder looked mature beyond his years as he frequently drifted into space to cause England’s defence all sorts of problems in the first half.
Musiala may have failed to take his big chance by firing a loose ball straight at Jordan Pickford, but he still left the pitch to a standing ovation from the home fans inside Allianz Arena when he was replaced by Timo Werner in the 65th minute. Those supporters know just how good Musiala can be, given many of them will have witnessed his five goals and five assists in 30 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern last season.
England’s loss, Germany’s gain
Musiala was born in Stuttgart to a German mother and British-Nigerian father. His family moved to England from Fulda, a small city north east of Frankfurt, when he was seven because his mum Carolin decided to study sociology at Southampton University. Musiala didn’t initially speak any English, but he stood out on the football pitch.
He was scouted by Chelsea and joined the club’s academy on a scholarship. Musiala was one of the stars of the Blues’ age groups and progressed at similar pace through the England youth set-up, making 23 appearances from under-15 to under-21 level. But in July 2019, aged just 16, he took the brave decision to leave Chelsea for Bayern Munich. That call ultimately changed the direction of his international career and in February 2021 he chose Germany over England .
“England is home for me,” he told The Athletic at the time. “It is difficult to find words for what England means for me because I have so many memories connected to very positive emotions.I have a heart for Germany and a heart for England. Both hearts will keep on beating.”
Of his decision, Musiala added: “[I thought] ‘What is best for my future?’ ‘Where do I have more chances to play?’ In the end, I just listened to the feeling that over a long period of time kept telling me that it was the right decision to play for Germany, the land I was born in. Still, it wasn’t an easy decision for me.”
Chelsea tried hard to keep hold of him and England made similar efforts to influence his international career decision. Ultimately former Germany boss Joachim Low made the difference, visiting Musiala in Munich to outline his future in the national side. It came as a blow for Southgate, who saw Musiala up close when he coached England’s under-21s.
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“We'd have liked him to stay for certain,” Southgate admitted in his pre-match press conference. “But when you're training at Bayern Munich every day and you're surrounded by Bayern Munich and German players, then that's a little bit more challenging and of course his family have those strong ties.
“We enjoyed working with him when he was in our junior teams. He was a really nice boy to work with. We knew he was going to be, and he is, a good player. So yes we would have liked him for sure but we've got lots of these situations now in England – I'm sure Germany have got the same – where players can play for a number of different countries and sometimes your heart is going to take you somewhere else. We have complete respect for that.
“It's nice to see him doing well, having met him first off when he was about 13 or 14. So I'm really pleased for him that that's working well.”
Bellingham contrast
There was a memorable incident in the second half of the Nations League draw on Tuesday night when Musiala went head-to-head with England midfielder Jude Bellingham in a duel for the ball on the touchline. Bellingham used his strength to manoeuvre Musiala off the ball and his skill to get out of a tight space. Annoyed at having been dispossessed, the German midfielder brought Bellingham down to concede a free-kick, before kicking the ball away in frustration.
Had things gone differently, Musiala and Bellingham could easily have been lining up on the same side for England on Tuesday night. The duo are close friends, having played in the same England age group sides throughout their development. According to The Athletic , they speak on a regular basis and Musiala helped Bellingham to learn German when he joined Borussia Dortmund two years ago.
As it is, they are representing different countries, as well as fierce rivals in German football. But they remain united in many respects: both are supremely talented, imposing midfielders who took the decision to leave England to develop their games in Germany. Along with Jadon Sancho the duo are the most prominent players to make that call, while former West Ham defender Reece Oxford remains at Augsburg.
Only way is up
Just like Bellingham – who has become a key player for Dortmund since joining from Birmingham City – Musiala has experienced the benefits of the Bundesliga. He holds the record as Bayern's youngest ever Bundesliga debutant, aged 17 years, three months and 25 days. He is also the youngest player to represent Germany at a major tournament, having featured at Euro 2020. And in March he became the German top flight’s youngest player to reach 50 appearances.
Speaking about his development to BBC Sport this week, Musiala highlighted a key difference between Germany and England which he believes has helped him develop faster.
"Dribbling in tight spaces, close control, beating players is something I've always liked to do,” he said. "I have trained these movements since I was little with my dad. He encouraged me to take on and beat players – and I have always kept that with me. In Germany, we have a league in the academy from under-10s, whereas in England we don't have a league until under-18s. You have a lot less pressure and more time to develop yourself and you can play a lot freer. With the tactics here in Germany you get taught to win at a young age."
Having made the right call, the only way is up for the former Chelsea academy player. "His development is good, he’s becoming more consistent,” Bayern manager Julian Naglesmann said recently. “He really improved his reliability. He’s got great quality in attack, is very assured on the ball, and the manner in which he can turn his way out of different pressure situations is extraordinary. Really good.”
For both club and country, everything appears to be going swimmingly for Musiala. Next stop: Qatar. "I'm desperate to perform well and make myself part of that squad – my first World Cup would be an amazing feeling,” he told BBC Sport. "I want to take it up a notch, more physicality, stamina, get into better goal scoring positions and defensive discipline."
