Laid-back Musiala ‘playing with freedom’ in Germany’s Cup pursuit
When Mario Goetze scored in extratime against Argentina to win the 2014 World Cup for Germany, an 11-year-old Jamal Musiala watched from his couch alongside his parents in London.
Eight years later and still three months shy of his 20th birthday, the former Chelsea youth star has established himself as an essential part of Hansi Flick’s XI in Qatar.
The Bayern Munich forward, nicknamed “Bambi” for his youthful appearance, opened yesterday’s Germany press conference by reiterating the need to keep his cool.
Germany begin their latest World Cup title charge tomorrow against Japan in the Doha heat.
“I feel it’s important to bring a bit of looseness, not to put too much pressure on yourself and to have a bit of fun, and then it’ll go well,” said Musiala, whose calm on the ball is crucial in Germany’s high-octane attack.
“Jamal is a laid-back guy,” teammate Niklas Suele, 27, said while sitting alongside the teenager, who has been showered with praise after a stunning domestic season in which he has scored nine goals and had six assists in 15 league games with Bayern.
German legend Lothar Matthaeus says that Musiala is so good that he compares him with Lionel Messi.
“Being compared to Messi, it’s a little difficult,” Musiala said yesterday at Germany’s isolated training camp in Al Shamal, northern Qatar.
“I am focused on myself and what I can do better as Jamal.”
Musiala’s form has been so strong that Bayern have hardly noticed the absence of talisman Thomas Mueller, who has missed much of the season so far with injury.
‘PLAY WITH FREEDOM’
Born in Stuttgart, Musiala moved to England at the age of seven. He returned to Germany in 2019 after spending eight years in the Chelsea youth setup. Musiala represented England throughout his teenage years but in February 2021 opted to swap allegiance to Germany, despite Gareth Southgate’s attempts to keep him.
Former Bayern and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has called Musiala “one of a kind” and says he “had something that England doesn’t have”.
Musiala remains good friends with several current English stars, including 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham. Musiala said his decade in England armed him with skills that he may not have picked up in Germany.
“In the England youth setup you learn different things than you do in Germany. I have taken a real lot from (that time), like quality playing as an individual and in one-on-one situations,” he said.
“A saying they often repeated was ‘play with freedom’, which I have tried to implement throughout my career (and which) will always be a part of me.”