CHENNAI: Whenever Jamal Musiala has done something of note over the last three years or so, a decade-old post does another round on Twitter. When a then 10-year-old Musiala was playing an age-group game in the UK, a poster had tweeted about the kid 'who is ludicrously good'. Nothing, perhaps, explains Musiala more than this.
He was so good from such a young age that he caught the eye at all youth levels. At 21, Musiala, like a few of the others, represents football's present as well as future.
Against Scotland on opening night, Musiala was all twinkle toes, nimble foot and gossamer touch. The way he combined with Florian Wirtz was a joy to behold as the hosts' attacking trident (Kai Havertz being the other) overwhelmed the Scots into submission before half-time.
What makes Musiala such a joy is his ability to take the ball in tight spaces — he's so good he can receive and turn inside a phone booth — and breeze past the opposition. The ball sticks to his feet as if there's some invisible adhesive at play. Consider this: Over the last year, he's in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 minutes (4.07), 92nd percentile for pass completion rate (82.7% per 90), 93rd percentile non-penalty goals (0.41 per 90) and in the 81st percentile for touches inside the box (6.02).
Granted, some of this may be skewed as these are numbers generated for club football (stats via fbref) but this is what Germany hopes he will become in the international game as well.
Against Hungary on Wednesday, the hosts will once again look up to their starboy to help provide the pizzazz. Sometime over the course of the next few weeks, Germany could be in line to face England at these Championships. At that time, England's management may well be looking on with envy across the aisle, wondering what could have been. For Musiala could have been theirs. For a period of time, it did seem like the attacking midfielder was preparing himself for a career with the Three Lions.
While he was born in Germany in 2003, he moved to the South Coast of England with his parents when he was seven (he was born to a German mother and a Nigerian-British father). When a young Musiala was doing his thing at a local club, a Chelsea scout spotted him. He was soon rising up the Chelsea ranks, even playing for their Under-18 sides at the age of 14 and 15. Considering his talent was never in doubt, he started wearing England's famous whites when he was just 13. The Football Association, who were tracking his progress (a certain Jude Bellingham was also in a few teams), were sure Musiala would go on to represent them.
However, two rude shocks were around the corner. The first was Chelsea losing him to Bayern Munich before Covid. In the middle of Covid, Musiala made the announcement that he would represent Germany at the senior-most level. The attacking midfielder who had played for his adopted homeland at the Under-21 level had declared for the country of his birth (some reports suggest that he was offered a better pathway).
While England have their own version in Bellingham, Germany will be thankful Musiala declared for them. In the short-term, over the course of the next three weeks, he will form the fulcrum for Germany's tilt at winning the Euros at home.