With his goal against FC Copenhagen, Jamal Musiala once again showed that he is one of the key players at FC Bayern. Its elegance has fans and experts all over the world swooning and drawing comparisons to big names.
For more than an hour, FC Bayern Munich struggled against FC Copenhagen’s tight defense. The ball was now more than 70 percent in Munich’s possession. But shots on goal were an absolute rarity. And after Lukas Lerager had hammered the Danes into a 1-0 lead, Munich’s first defeat in the Champions League group stage in almost six years was within reach.
Musiala in Copenhagen: With will and elegance
At that moment, 20-year-old Jamal Musiala demanded the ball in midfield. With his arms outstretched, he stood around 35 meters in front of the opponent’s goal. Looking over his shoulder, left, right and left again, Musiala had chosen his next move before he had the ball at his feet. Copenhagen’s Rasmus Falk was briefly inattentive and came into the duel a little late. Stepover, body deception, Falk tried to throw Musiala off his game by tugging on his jersey, but he received a tunneler on the edge of the penalty area.
Musiala immediately shot, Denis Vavro, who was flying in, tried to block, but he came too late. The ball hit the right corner, unstoppable for goalkeeper Kamil Grabara. The 20-year-old international made the difference that evening. When his team couldn’t find a solution, he took it into his own hands, demanded the ball and with it responsibility and thus shouldered his team’s success.
The first FCB playmaker since Thiago
It’s not just in this game that Musiala confirms what was already foreseeable last season. Jamal Musiala is a difference player for FC Bayern. And even if he often seems a little boyish and shy in interviews and away from the game, on the pitch he is developing into a leading player at a young age, even in this big club.
In Musiala, FC Bayern has found another playmaker that they have been missing since Thiago’s departure. But Musiala interprets this task differently than the Spaniard. The successor shows a similarly outstanding game intelligence and very good awareness of space and opponents. But while Thiago, who has been under contract with Liverpool FC since 2021, shone above all with his artistic passes, Musiala’s strength is dribbling.
Ferdinand: Maybe “even more elegant” than Kaká
Musiala collects the balls deep in his own half and carries them into the opponent’s penalty area in counterattack situations; With the ball close to his feet, he allows his opponents to bounce off him despite his slight stature. When he gets to the other end of the pitch, he poses big problems for his opponents because Musiala’s skills allow him to do all sorts of things: serve teammates, keep dribbling, finish himself. The opponents usually only know afterwards which defense strategy would have been the right one.
With his lightness, speed and elegance on the field, he is reminiscent of Kaká, who delighted fans at AC Milan, Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team for years with his way of carrying the ball seemingly effortlessly all over the field. Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand also draws a comparison between Musiala and Kaká: “He’s the one who comes closest to Kaká. Only it seems like he’s even more elegant when he dribbles through defenses.”
The dream of the golden ball
With this style of play, coupled with his efficiency, Kaká led Milan to the Champions League title in 2007 and was awarded the Ballon d’Or in the same year. Musiala has already won the biggest European title in club football, but at the time he played more of a supporting role. Completely different from last season, when he played a key role in FC Bayern’s championship, not just with his winning goal on the last matchday in Cologne. Thanks to such performances, the 20-year-old is not only the favorite for the “Golden Boy Award” but also received a nomination for the Ballon d’Or.
Even though the award will probably go to someone else this year, many experts believe Musiala can win the title in his career. And he himself thinks it’s possible: “I would like to see my name on the Ballon d’Or plaque. But to do that I still have to work a lot on myself and develop further. That’s my dream,” said Musiala a year ago.
Interest from Real Madrid and Liverpool
Should Musiala win this title at some point in the FC Bayern jersey, he would be the first player to do so since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1981). The 20-year-old’s contract currently runs until 2026. Musiala’s performances arouse not only comparisons with big names but also a lot of desire. No matter whether Real Madrid, Liverpool FC or youth club Chelsea FC – every top European club is currently following the young national player’s career path with interest.
So it’s no wonder that, according to reports, the Munich-based company is currently working intensively on extending the contract even further. After all, it’s not very often that you have the opportunity to have the best player in Europe in your own ranks. And even if it doesn’t work out, with this trophy: laughing fans, enthusiastic experts and, last but not least, the decisive moments that Musiala provides should be reason enough to keep the slight dribbler in Munich for as long as possible.
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Those: BR24Sport
October 4th, 2023 – 6:30 p.m
