Perfect time for magic: Germany star must prove he can do big games

Perfect time for magic: Germany star must prove he can do big games

The smile is back. 297 days after Jamal Musiala’s horror injury, confidence is growing that the Bayern star can regain the self-belief he needs—and above all trust in his own abilities and his own body—during the final stretch of the season. With the crucial clashes in the Champions League and the DFB-Pokal in mind, but of course also the World Cup in the summer, the 23-year-old now has the chance to put to bed the accusation that he goes missing in the big games.

It has been a long and rocky road for Jamal Musiala over the past almost nine months: from the moment of shock at the Club World Cup to a complicated recovery with several setbacks, and finally to his first shaky appearances in the Bundesliga.

In mid-April, former Bayern executive Oliver Kahn also fueled the media debate on Sky’s show “Triple – der Hagedorn-Fußballtalk” over whether the Bayern star, in this form, should even be a candidate for the World Cup: “He should skip taking part in the World Cup. If I feel that something isn’t right in my game, then I have to work on myself to be ready again.”

Kahn put that statement into perspective a little later, but it had been said and was discussed everywhere. Those in charge at FC Bayern, such as Max Eberl and Herbert Hainer, stood protectively by their jewel and urged patience. “This injury really hit him hard. He saw his ankle. Of course he’s still dealing with that—not just physically, but mentally too,” Eberl said in direct response to Kahn’s comments.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany in particular left no doubt in recent weeks that Musiala would soon return to his old level. His latest performances against St. Pauli, in the title-clinching game against VfB Stuttgart, in the DFB-Pokal against Bayer Leverkusen, and last weekend in Mainz have backed that up. Musiala is well on his way to becoming “Magic Musiala” again.