11 May 2023 13:55-04:00

11 fun facts about Jamal Musiala

Everything you need to know about German starlet Jamal Musiala.

Jamal Musiala is a German-English professional footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for the German national team and Bayern Munich. Born on February 26, 2003, in Stuttgart, Germany, Musiala's father is Nigerian and his mother is German, and he holds dual citizenship.

Musiala started his footballing journey at the age of seven, joining the youth academy of TSV Lehnerz. He left Fulda soon after and moved to England with his family, where he would spend the rest of his formative years. After a brief spell at Southampton's academy, Musiala joined Chelsea's academy in 2011 and continued his development at Cobham for the next eight years.

Musiala decided to join German giants Bayern Munich in 2019 aged just 16 years old. He made his professional debut, coming on as a substitute for Bayern Munich II in their 3–2 win over Preuben Munster in the 3. Liga. He made his Bundesliga debut against SC Freiburg on 20 June 2020, just over two weeks after his professional debut, and he became the youngest player to play a match for Bayern in the Bundesliga aged 17 years and 115 days.

The German sensation signed his first professional contract at Bayern Munich until 2026 on 5 March 2021. He has since become a regular feature in the Bayern Munich team and has played a key role in their success.

Musiala has represented England at youth level, but in March 2021, he announced his intention to play for the German national team, the country of his birth. He made his debut for the national team in a World Cup qualifier against Iceland later that month, becoming the second-youngest player to ever play for Germany. He scored his first international goal in a friendly against Denmark in June 2021.

Musiala is an attacking midfielder who is known for his technical skills, dribbling ability, and eye for goal. He is comfortable playing in multiple positions, including as a winger or central midfielder and is known for his pace and agility. Musiala is also an intelligent player who can read the game well, and he has been praised for his ability to make quick decisions on the ball.

Since joining Bayern Munich, Musiala has won several titles, including the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and the UEFA Champions League. He was also named the Bundesliga Rookie of the month for April during the 2020-21 season.

Musiala is one of the most exciting young talents in world football, with the potential to become one of the best players of his generation. He has already achieved a lot at a young age and has attracted the attention of many top clubs and national teams. As he continues to develop and improve, there is no doubt that Musiala will be one of the key players to watch in the coming years.

Here are 11 interesting facts about Jamal Musiala that you absolutely need to know.

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Bambi on ice
Musiala is fondly called 'Bambi' by his teammates and fans alike. The nickname has quickly caught up with everyone. Bayern Munich teammate Serge Gnabry shed light on why the wiry youngster has picked up a new nickname, telling reporters: "Leroy gave him the nickname Bambi. He's a sweet little boy, quite a pleasant guy. His footballing qualities are exceptional. As you saw against Hungary, he can help the team extremely. I am completely convinced of him. His time will come, it is just a case of when."

Represented both England and Germany at youth levels
Despite spending the majority of his childhood in England, Musiala was born in Stuttgart, Germany and lived there until his was seven. His dual citizenship has seen him represent both England and Germany at youth level, though his two caps for the Germany Under-16s are far outweighed by his appearances for the Young Lions.
Musiala has opted to play for Germany at senior international level, and has made his debut for Die Mannschaft featuring in the FIFA World Cup 2022.
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Youngest German and English goalscorer in the UCL
Musiala has been making ways since his debut for Bayern Munich. He added himself to the history books again on 23 February 2021. Musiala scored his first Champions League goal in a 4–1 away win over Lazio in the first leg of the Round of 16 tie. He became the competition's youngest goalscorer of both English and German nationalities.

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Second youngest player to score for Germany
On 11 October 2021, Musiala scored his first goal in a 4–0 win over North Macedonia during the 2022 World Cup qualification, becoming the second-youngest player to score for Germany, aged 18 years and 227 days, only behind Marius Hiller, aged 17 years and 241 days, in 1910.
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German National Player of the Year
His performances have not gone unnoticed. The prodigy has been voted as the German Player of the Year for the year 2022 over other prominent names in the country.
Bundesliga Rookie of the Month
Musiala had his first team breakthrough during the 2020-21 season and debuting in the Champions League and scored his first Bundesliga goal for Bayern as well. His strong showings earned him a Bundesliga rookie of the month award for the month of April.
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Youngest player to play for Bayern in Bundesliga
On 20 June 2020, Musiala made his Bundesliga debut against SC Freiburg, and he became the youngest player to play a match for Bayern in the Bundesliga, aged 17 years and 115 days. He came on to replace Bayern legend Thomas Muller in the 88th minute of the game.
He overtook replacing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who was 17 years and 251 days when he debuted in the league for Bayern in 2013 vs Nuremberg.
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Bayern’s youngest goal scorer in the Bundesliga
After breaking the record for being the youngest debutant for Bayern in the Bundesliga, Musiala followed that by becoming the Bavarian club's all-time youngest goalscorer at 17 years and 205 days, smashing the record set by 18-year-old Roque Santa Cruz, scoring the eighth goal in an 8-0 win over Schalke on the opening day of 2020/21.
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Three time Bundesliga winner
Despite still being just 20 years old, Musiala already has multiple Bundesliga titles to his name. He has won the league title with Bayern Munich for three consecutive seasons since 2019. He has also won three successive German Supercup since 2020 with the Bavarian club.
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IFFHS Men's U20 Team of the Year
Musiala's talent was recognized again by International Federation of Football, History and Statistics' (IFFHS) when he was voted in the U20 team of the year in 2020 alongside other great talents like Bukayo Saka, Eduardo Camavinga and Pedri.
"Next Messi" according to Lothar Matthaus
Musiala has been heralded as one of the best talents in world football by former players and pundits alike. "He can be the Messi of the future, he is excellent," Lothar Matthaus told BBC Sport after Musiala's performance against Spain.
"I have loved him for the last two years, I love his style of football and I love his personality. He's 19 years old, he is doing the things that will make him a top footballer. He has great passing, he is clever with his thinking and he loves football," added Mathaus.