'I learned so much from him' - Jamal Musiala names his best team-mate at Bayern Munich and reveals Real Madrid defender was his toughest opponent

Musiala will be one of the stars of the much-anticipated football video game EA FC 26, where he will appear on the cover alongside Jude Bellingham. In an interview with The Athleticregarding the revelation, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder named the legendary Thomas Muller as his best team-mate ever, while also picking national co-star and Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger as the toughest defender he has ever faced.

Muller has been sort of a mentor to Musiala ever since he broke into the first team in 2020. The duo shared the same position on the pitch, both for Germany and Bayern Munich, with Musiala widely touted to take the baton from the all-time appearance record holder and lead the Bavarian giants to glory. On the other hand, Rudiger has been a regular fixture alongside the Stuttgart-born wizard. The duo faced each other in the 2023-24 Champions League semi-finals, with Musiala failing to score a goal in either leg.

Talking about his best Bayern team-mate, Musiala said: "I will give that to Thomas Muller. I’ve learned so much from him — so many little bits of advice — and I’ve had so much fun playing with him. There are so many players I could say, but Thomas is at the top."

Then, when naming the toughest defender he has ever faced, Musiala named Rudiger, adding: "We played against Real Madrid in the Champions League and that was quite tough. I’ve known him for quite a few years. And, yeah, it’s not nice to play against him."

After suffering a horrific injury in the Club World Cup quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, fracturing his fibula and dislocating his ankle, Musiala successfully underwent surgery and is expected to miss up to five months due to recovery.