Musiala and Bayern: the perfect match | OneFootball

Jamal Musiala: Bayern Munich embrace star on course for world's best status

Having penned a new long-term deal at Bayern Munich, Germany international Jamal Musiala appears ever-more destined to become one of the game’s all-time greats at the club where he exploded onto the footballing scene.

It seems almost astonishing that the Stuttgart-born attacking genius is still only 21 years old. This campaign, after all, is technically Musiala’s sixth as a senior pro with Bayern. When he first started, records began to tumble: Bayern’s youngest Bundesliga debutant, the club’s youngest domestic and then European goalscorer.

Sleight of frame but immense in raw talent and ambition, Musiala’s future at the Allianz Arena looked set from the moment he slipped on those famous red colours.

Achieving the above firsts at 17, it was remarkable to note that Musiala had already experienced a footballing past in another country.

Watch: Musiala is going from strength to stength

Musiala (r.) has been a major reason for Bayern's solid form under Vincent Kompany. (Lukas Schulze/Bundesliga)

If his local side lamented his moving to England when he was just seven years old, Chelsea youths felt much the same when the 16-year-old – whom the Londoners could see was filled with an abundance of promise and potential – headed back to Germany with his parents.

Finding the perfect fit at Bayern, Musiala was soon under the tutelage of legendary Germany’s all-time top scorer Miroslav Klose, not that that lasted long. The youngster’s rise was prolific. He was training with Hansi Flick’s seniors in no time. On the bench for a game during Bayern’s winning UEFA Champions League run of 2019/20, Musiala was all the while watching, learning, waiting.

Watch: Some of Jamal's best efforts in the Bundesliga

The following season, 37 senior appearances, 11 starts and seven goals in all competitions meant Musiala had truly arrived in the big time. A first professional contract at Bayern penned until 2026 rubber-stamped his progress. Just under four years later, and the two-time Germany Player of the Year has agreed to new terms with the record champions, bookmarking some unforgettable moments between times.

“Everyone who is close to me and who knows me knows how much I cherish the club and how happy I am based on the last couple of years,” Musiala explained recently. "I've made steps forward. I'm trying to work on performing at a high level over many successive matches," Bayern’s No. 42 continued.

If Musiala scored an important goal against Bayern’s Der Klassiker rivals Borussia Dortmund as the Bavarians won their 10th straight Bundesliga title in 2022, he netted the vital one the following year. An 89th minute strike in a 2-1 triumph against Cologne helped FCB make it Meisterschale – the trophy awarded to Germany’s top-flight winners - number 11 on the spin. Just last season, the Germany mainstay scored 10 Bundesliga goals, making him Bayern’s second-highest scorer behind veteran goal-getter Harry Kane.

The upward trajectory has continued into 2024/25, a season where Musiala has added new facets to his game, despite missing matches through illness and injury. At both club and international level, he has begun scoring regularly with headers, while his 2024 Bundesliga goal of the Year strike meant that the 21-year-old had also found his range in terms of success with long-distance shots.

Watch: Musiala's 2024 Goal of the Year

"We said a few days ago, now he's scoring headed goals – unusual," Bayern’s sporting director Christoph Freund said. "Now he's scoring long-range goals – that doesn't happen every day either. He's scoring very important goals and is in great form."

“I always work on different things to improve myself,” Musiala continued. “I think I've improved compared to last season. I had good games last year as well but the goals and assists were lacking. Now they’re coming."

The improvements have been noticed by Musiala’s teammates at club and international level too. Bayern and recent Germany retiree, Thomas Müller, explained: "He's hard-working, has quality and the environment to play well. He's very important for our game because he does things that allow us to get forward productively and keep every line of defence busy. On a scale of one to 10? He [regularly] plays close to a 10.”

Musiala lights up almost every game he appears in, be they for Bayern or Germany – where his performances at UEFA Euro 2024 saw him finish the competition as joint-top scorer and named in the Team of the Tournament.

A joy to watch with his mesmerising close control, turn of pace, ability to beat his man and threading the eye-of-a needle passing, his game is growing all the time. With a new Bayern contract under his belt, Musiala’s continued journey towards becoming the best player in the world won't stop being a fascinating one.

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