BAYERN MUNICH
"Magician", "the next Neymar": new Bayern starlet draws lofty praise
Lothar Matthäus, Thomas Muller, Timo Werner, Julian Nagelsmann and Hansi Flick have all heaped enormous praise on Bayern Munich's latest sensation, Jamal Musiala.
The newest pearl of German football has emerged at Bayern Munich. Eighteen-year-old Jamal Musiala is a versatile offensive midfielder who has become a regular in Bayern's XI. Two goals and two assists in his four Bundesliga appearances at the start of this season is proof of his prodigious talent.
With the ability to play with elegance and confidence with the ball at his feet, the German teenager has been compared with compatriot and former Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil. But the lofty comparisons haven’t stopped there. Bayern and Germany legend Lothar Matthäus has even said that Musiala has what it takes to become the "next Neymar”.
Discussing Musiala recently, Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann praised the youngster's humility and work ethic. "He is very humble, he wants to work and listens carefully when you speak to him," stated Nagelsmann, while Germany coach Hansi Flick, the former Bayern boss who gave him his debut in the first team in June 2020, said the 18-year-old midfielder is “very good at one-on-ones” and “plays very brave football.”
Muller, Werner praise Bayern starlet
Musiala has done what very few Bayern youth players tend to achieve by carving out a place for himself in the Bavarian outfit’s XI, with veteran Thomas Muller stating that his younger teammate will “one day” inherit his place in both the Bayern and Germany team.
“He is a magician,” said Muller of Musaila after Saturday’s 4-1 win away at Leipzig. Muller even defined himself as merely “the player covering the position” until Musiala is ready to claim it permanently.
Compatriot and Chelsea striker Timo Werner also spoke highly of Musaila, whom he cited as an example for even older footballers. "He goes out on the field, has fun and does what he wants to do," explained an enthusiastic Werner, who has not been living his best moments on the pitch since his move to Stamford Bridge in 2020. "Maybe the rest of us should go back to that interpretation of what this sport was for all of us during our beginnings. We play football because it is fun. You can learn a lot from his youthful fluidity.”