Name: Jamal Musiala
Age: 19 (at time of writing)
Position: Attacking Midfield/Central Midfield
Place of Birth: Stuttgart, Germany
National team career: 17 caps (1 goal)
Current club: Bayern Munich
Germany come into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as one of the tournament favorites after comfortably topping Group J by nine points during their qualifying campaign under former Bayern Munich tactician Hansi Flick.
One of the true long-standing powerhouses in the global game, Die Mannschaft are in need of a deep run at the World Cup to set the record straight after they failed to emerge from the group stage at Russia 2018 after finishing last in a group comprised of Sweden, Mexico, and South Korea.
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Since taking charge in August of 2021, Flick has yet to taste defeat while in charge and has amassed nine wins, four draws, and overseen 42 goals scored while becoming the third coach to go undefeated in his first ten matches after Sepp Herberger and Josef Derwall.
One of the key catalysts for Germany’s rebirth under Flick has been his willingness to tap into the wealth of young talent in the national player pool over the last twelve months. He has put faith in gifted youngsters while championing the notion that if they are good enough, they are old enough. One such player primed for an influential tournament this winter is Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala.
Still just 19 years old, the Stuttgart-born wunderkind has already reached the pinnacle of achievement in his native Germany after his meteoric rise in Bavaria.
Though German-born, Musiala spent years in England with Southampton as well as eight years in Chelsea’s Cobham pipeline before moving back to Germany in 2019 and joining Bayern.
Just a year later, Musiala made his debut for the club under Flick and has not looked back since.
According to the German boss and former Bayern manager, Musiala “...has a great eye and feeling for choosing the right spaces. He is very confident on the ball and can play well between the lines.”
In that light, Musiala has delivered for both club and country over the last two seasons and is now fully viewed as a key piece of the puzzle under current tactician Julian Nagelsmann at the Allianz Arena.
Musiala has already started the current 2022-23 campaign incredibly well to the tune of four goals in five Bundesliga starts as a player capable of being deployed as a 10, a mobile 8, or on either flank under the club’s young German manager and has continued to have faith placed in him by Flick for the national team after receiving 15 caps dating back to last year.
Despite Germany boasting incredible depth in quality in midfield and in attack, Musiala looks primed for a vital role in Qatar for his country that could see his profile soar to even greater heights should they lift their fifth World Cup trophy.
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