The Bayern Munich star has made the perfect start to Euro 2024, leaving Three Lions and Blues fans pondering what might have been
When Jamal Musiala was substituted in the 74th minute of Germany's 5-1 victory over Scotland on Friday, the home fans packed into Allianz Arena all rose to their feet to applaud the 21-year-old as he left the pitch. The standing ovation was a fitting tribute for Musiala, who terrorised the Scottish defence with his sublime dribbling skills and almost broke the net with his thunderous strike to put Germany two goals ahead inside the first quarter of the game.
Julian Nagelsmann's side will face tougher challenges as Euro 2024 progresses, but they played like potential champions in their opening game, and Musiala looked like a man who has his sights set on the Player of the Tournament prize. At just 21, the Bayern Munich man is already a world-class operator, and both England and Chelsea will be watching on with envious eyes as he continues to unlock his limitless potential in the coming years.
In an alternate reality, Musiala could have been lining up for England against Serbia on Sunday, as a representative of the Blues instead of Bayern. But just how did the two organisations manage to let such a special talent slip away? GOAL explains all…
Bellingham's partner
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 , 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.
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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 , 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 in 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.”
GettyEngland outfoxed
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. 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.
GettyWhy did Musiala opt for Germany?
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 . “'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 : “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!”