Jamal Musiala: How Chelsea & England let Germany's starboy slip from their grasp

Musiala was born in the central German city of Fulda, and raised by a Nigerian-British father and German mother. He moved to England at the age of seven, attending the Whitgift School in Croydon, where he spent three years before joining Chelsea's academy ranks on a full-time basis.

At just 13, England drafted Musiala into their youth set-up, and he would go on to represent the Three Lions at Under-15, U16, U17 and U21 levels. As per the Daily Mail, he didn't mature physically at the same speed as his team-mates, but coaches were blown away by his physical qualities, and his footballing IQ belied his tender age.

Musiala played a grand total of 13 games alongside a certain Jude Bellingham as the pair were singled out as future stars by the Football Association. Chelsea also knew they had a diamond on their hands, with Musiala making his league debut for their U18 side just two months after his 15th birthday.

But in August 2019, his career trajectory took an unexpected turn, as Bayern Munich snapped him up from Chelsea for just £170,000. The move came as a major shock for the FA, who had never doubted that Musiala would represent England at senior level before then, despite the fact he had also represented Germany twice at U16 level.

Chelsea faced plenty of criticism for selling a 16-year-old Musiala just as he was starting to push for a first-team breakthrough, and it was reported that they didn't even protect themselves with a buy-back clause. However, according to football.london, the Blues did table a new contract for Musiala, only to see him seduced by the project on offer at Bayern.

The report added that Musiala felt Bayern could provide a quicker progression route, and after being given a tour of their training ground, he was determined to make the switch. Chelsea didn't make a mistake, their hand was forced, and they did at least manage to agree a sell-on fee worth 20 percent - which could see them land a considerable windfall down the line.

Family was also an important factor for Musiala's thinking. Brexit created uncertainty for foreign nationals living in the United Kingdom, and his mother wanted to go back to Germany.

“I think [Brexit] may have been part of it," one of Musiala's old teachers at Whitgift, Andrew Martin, told The Timesin 2021. "Also his mother saw her home as Germany. He was playing for Chelsea at the time, who may have undervalued him a little. Bayern Munich came in with the right offer. Then he was presented with a pathway into the national side. The rest is history.”

It only took Musiala 11 months to break into the senior team at Bayern, as he became their youngest-ever Bundesliga player at the age of 17 years and 115 days when lining up against Freiburg on June 20, 2020. He was also getting to know a number of household Germany stars, including Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, but four months later, he was called up by England U21s for their 2021 European Championship qualifiers.

Musiala made his U21s debut off the bench against Andorra before scoring in a 5-0 win over Albania at Molineux, prompting the head of academy coaching for the German Football Association (DFB), Meikel Schonweitz, to admit the attacking midfielder “currently sees his future with England”.

Then-England U21s boss Aidy Boothroyd, meanwhile, attempted to dismiss any concerns over Musiala being stationed at Bayern. "He needs to push himself further to grow to get into his club team in Germany," he said. "It won’t be an issue that he plays in that country so we want to create an environment that he flourishes in."

The DFB never gave up on Musiala behind the scenes, though. The Mail has stated that former Germany head coach Joachim Low was the driving force behind their pursuit, as he invited Musiala's parents out to dinner and frequently checked on him in person at Allianz Arena. And by Febuary 2022, Musiala had made up his mind once and for all.

Musiala pledged his allegiance to Germany just four months before Euro 2020, which was postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. “I’ve thought about this question a lot,” he stated when quizzed on his decision to snub England by The Athletic. “'What is best for my future?’ ‘Where do I have more chances to play?’ In the end, I just listened to the feeling that over a long period of time kept telling me that it was the right decision to play for Germany, the land I was born in. Still, it wasn’t an easy decision for me.”

He also offered an insight into his meetings with Low and Germany director Oliver Bierhoff, having been earmarked for the No.10 slot in the national team line up. "I had a very good an honest discussion with Joachim Low. We met in Munich and he showed me clearly my way to the national team," Musiala said. "I was impressed by how well informed they both were. Mr Low analysed very well my style and my weaknesses. He sees me in the future in my strongest position, that in the attacking midfield."

It was a bitter pill for England, and Gareth Southgate to swallow. "We would have liked him to stay, for sure," the Three Lions boss admitted after the announcement.

Bayern had already made Musiala a staple of their squad by then. He turned 18 two days later, and signed his first professional contract at Bayern through to 2026, before making his bow for the Germany national team in their March World Cup qualifiers.

Musiala's rapid rise to prominence was unprecedented, and it was hard to escape the feeling that England had fumbled the bag, though former Germany and Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann offered a more simple explanation. He proclaimed on talkSPORT: “We are happy because he is a great player and probably because he sees more potential in the German team winning something than in the English!”

Musiala went on to become the youngest German player to ever feature at a major tournament at Euro 2020, but ironically, Low's side suffered a last-16 exit at the hands of England. He also played all three of Germany's World Cup games in Qatar the following year, but they crashed out in the group stage under Low's successor, Hansi Flick.

Despite that poor collective showing, Musiala made a lasting impression with his ingenuity and composure on the ball, prompting Germany legend Lothar Matthaus to shower him with the ultimate praise. "He can be the [Lionel] Messi of the future, he is excellent," the former Bayern defender told BBC Sport. "I have loved him for the last two years, I love his style of football and I love his personality."

Germany were last crowned world champions back in 2014, and have since endured a transitional period that has lasted far longer than anyone could have expected given their illustrious history. Nagelsmann is out to fix that, though, and he's under no illusions over just how important Musiala is to Die Mannschaft's resurgence.

"When you see Jamal, you don’t tell him what to do, he can just do it," Nagelsmann said after the Scotland win. "He played an exceptionally good game today. He had an enormous influence."

Musiala's dazzling footwork, pace and eye for the killer pass makes him a nightmare for defenders. He's also a ruthless finisher who is versatile enough to play in a number of different positions, and he exerts the quiet confidence of a far older and more experienced player.

It's hard not to imagine how devastating he could have been as a midfield partner for Bellingham, but England's loss has very much been Germany's gain, and the best is yet to come.

Musiala actually went into Euro 2024 on the back of a frustrating club season, however, as he was part of a Bayern squad that failed to win a trophy for the first time in 12 years. Bayer Leverkusen knocked Bayern off their perch in the Bundesliga while Real Madrid saw them off en route to winning their record-extending 15th Champions League crown, and Thomas Tuchel's men were also knocked out of the DFB-Pokal in the second round by third-tier outfit Saarbrucken.

There were plenty of players who were guilty of underperforming during a miserable campaign for Bayern, but Musiala was one of the few who could hold his head up high, alongside summer signing Harry Kane. Musiala built up a strong rapport with Kane as the England captain hit 44 goals in his debut season for the Germany giants, leaving the striker rueing the FA's failure to bring him on board at international level.

"I joke a bit with Jamal Musiala about him choosing Germany over England," Kane said to ITV Football in May. "Obviously he could have played for England. But maybe if I were here a few years ago, I could’ve put my arm around his shoulder and got him for us. But Jamal is a great player."

It's entirely possible that the two team-mates will face off in the latter stages of Euro 2024. If England finish second in their group and Germany win theirs, then another round of 16 meeting will be on the cards, while if the roles are reversed, it's likely they will cross paths in the last eight.

Musiala is a far more accomplished performer than he was at the last European Championship, and may already secretly be plotting England's downfall. It's certainly true that if the former Chelsea academy starlet is firing on all cylinders, Germany will take some beating, because he only needs one moment to change the momentum of a match with his unique skillset.

Hungary will probably be the next team to learn that lesson on Wednesday. This is Musiala's time, and all England can do now is wonder what might have been had the stars aligned differently just a few short years ago.