Jamal Musiala: World Cup One to Watch
Excitement is starting to build all over the world of football as the 2022 FIFA World Cup is mere days away.
For the players, such huge tournaments are the biggest stages they can get to showcase their talents. Nowhere does this ring truer than for under-23 talents.
Therefore, we will be taking a look at a number of young talents who are primed to impress in Qatar this winter.
Today Adam Khan joins us to discuss Jamal Musiala.
The World Cup - the Broadway of footballing stages - has often provided the platform for generational talents to elevate their status to that of a footballing god.
In 1958, it was a 17-year-old Pelé, shimmying past helpless defenders to crown his country champion. 40 years later, Michael Owen had his turn, scoring one of the greatest goals of the century. And in 2018, the honors fell to Kylian Mbappé, becoming the first teenager to score in a World Cup final to write his name in eternal glory.
As another grand event rolls around the corner, which young starlet will be the next to become almost synonymous with the competition itself?
A quick glance at the latest Golden Boy award shortlist shows the level of talent capable of seizing the spotlight. Nevertheless, it’s becoming increasingly hard to look past one-name dazzling spectators and entangling defenders on a weekly basis.
Though he may not look it, 19-year-old Jamal Musiala is a torch-bearer for the next generation of superstars.
His boyish, almost awkward frame has earned him the nickname Bambi from fellow FC Bayern teammates, but one shouldn’t be fooled by such a whimsical declaration.
This isn’t a helpless youngster falling over his feet, but a dominant steer with the ability to headline a footballing landscape for the next decade.
Thomas Müller, the embodiment of footballing IQ, has admitted that Musiala “understands things that I don’t even see on the football pitch,”.
Germany’s record-international - Lothar Matthaus - has not shied away from comparisons to the great Lionel Messi.
And Didi Hamann - former FC Bayern and Germany midfielder - has been quick to call the youngster the “most influential player” in his club side, and the type of talent that “comes around once every 100 years”.
With Cristiano Ronaldo’s powers waning, and Lionel Messi entering his final World Cup, the stage is set for new protagonists to take center stage.