🏆 Ballon d'OneFootball: A new entry in 24th place ... | OneFootball

Welcome to the fourth annual edition of the Ballon d’OneFootball as we begin our countdown of the top 25 players in the world right now. Here’s an explainer how we decided on a top 25.

Here’s the list so far.

Today we have …

24th: Jamal Musiala, Bayern Munich and Germany

(New entry)

If 2021/22 was the season Jamal Musiala became a Bayern Munich regular and a Germany international, 2022/23 was the year he became undroppable for both at the age of 19.

The third youngest Bundesliga player in Bayern Munich history is 20 now and already giving us a clear idea of what the next decade of creative midfield mastery is going to look like.

A dribbler of the highest quality, Musiala slaloms through defenders with ease, the ball always under complete control.

When it’s time to release the ball, he invariably finds a team-mate.

All of that combined saw him record 22 goals and assists — one every 100.5 minutes — in the Bundesliga in 2022/23. Only Serge Gnabry managed more than Musiala’s 12 goals for Bayern and nobody could match his 10 assists.

All that came in a struggling side — Bayern were far from their best and it took their youngest star’s top form to help them to an 11th Bundesliga title in a row.

Plus he still hasn’t even found a consistent role in the team, being shifted between the flanks, playing as a number 10 and lining up deeper in midfield.

Even a long stretch without a goal (following a blistering start to the season) was ended with a dramatic title-winner on the final day of the Bundesliga season.

His finishing deserted him at a World Cup full of German disappointment but he remained lively and threatening throughout all three group stage matches, forcing the issue for a team that often fell short when it came to cutting edge.

Exceptional with the ball at his feet and when it comes to picking out a team-mate, Musiala unselfish but with an eye for goal himself. Whether leading the press further upfield or playing deeper, he puts a shift in defensively too.

There’s no reason to believe Musiala will do anything but dominate midfields and put bums in and then on the edge of their seats for years to come.

Click here for every player named so far and their profiles.