Seeing Robert Lewandowski, Serge Gnabry and Thomas Müller all opening their 2020-21 Bundesliga scoring accounts during Friday’s 8-0 demolition of Schalke came as little surprise, but the scorer of the Bavarian’s final goal was a name few would have heard before, but one which could be heard a lot this season.
17-year-old Jamal Musiala’s goal in the 81st minute put the final nail in the Königsblauen coffin at the Allianz Arena as the youngster became the fifth youngest Bundesliga scorer of all-time. So just who is Jamal Musiala?
The teenager was born in Germany to a German mother and Nigerian father spending his early years in Fulda. The family however moved to England when he was seven due his mother’s studies and he was spotted by Chelsea scouts before joining their academy as an 8-year-old. His talent was such that he actually made his debut for the Blues’ U-18 side when aged just 15. He has represented England at all youth levels, but with dual nationality has also represented Germany twice at U-16 level.
Bayern moved to sign him and centre back Bright Arrey-Mbi from the London side last summer and he wasted no time at all in impressing the coaches at the Sabener Strasse. His progression has been meteoric since his arrival. Beginning with the U-17’s he averaged a goal or assist every 105 minutes before he was elevated to the U-19’s where he continued to shine. Sebastian Hoeneß then took him into the Bayern II squad in the 3.Liga and he made his debut after the corona virus lockdown scoring twice in only his second appearance.
His ascent then hit another level when called into the first team squad on matchday 33 where he became the club’s youngest ever player when coming off the bench against Freiburg aged just 17 years and 115 days old. That outstanding progress has just reached a fresh peak with his debut Bundesliga goal.
Musiala clearly is on an ascending career path, and in a season, which is going to see Bayern playing a punishing schedule, he could be set for more game time that would ordinarily be the case. His preferred position is as a number 10 behind the striker, but he is also adept at playing as the front man. Last season saw Joshua Zirkzee the primary back-up for Robert Lewandowski, and the club look to have unearthed another gem to perform that role.
His goal against Schalke showed him coming in from the left wing onto his right foot before having the confidence to rifle a shot into the bottom corner. While Bayern are not averse to splashing to cash to bring in players (Leroy Sané), they have also become extremely adept at blooding young talent in recent seasons (Alphonso Davies, Zirkzee). No-one will be getting carried away just yet, but Jamal Musiala looks to be another gem ready to shine at Bayern.
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