Jamal Musiala has enjoyed a remarkable rise since deciding to leave Chelsea and join Bayern Munich at the age of just 16 back in 2019.
Musiala made his first team debut just over a year later, coming off the bench in a win over Freiburg, before enjoying an impressive breakout campaign the following season. Now aged 20, he is a key player for both Bayern and Germany, having turned down the chance to represent England, and has been linked with a big money move to Liverpool.
His move to Bayern has had a huge effect on his career, with Musiala making the bold decision to walk away from the club he had been at since under-8s level because he felt the German giants offered him a better developmental path and a clear route to the first team. According to football.london, Chelsea did offer Musiala a new contract and were keen to keep him, but the player ultimately decided his future lied elsewhere.
Bayern scouted the player heavily when they attempted to prise Callum Hudson-Odoi away from Chelsea in January 2019, with Hudson-Odoi’s brother Bradley also Musiala’s agent at the time. Reports from Germany have also suggested that Brexit played a part in the move as well.
Musiala was originally born in Germany to a British-Nigerian father and German mother, before the family moved to England when he was seven because his mother, Carolin, had begun studying for a sociology degree at Southampton University. He spent four months with Southampton’s academy before being signed to a scholarship at Chelsea and progressing through their ranks.
However, concerns over what the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union could mean for his mother is said to have been a factor in their return to Germany, with the UK heading for a no-deal Brexit when Musiala signed for Bayern.
The player also represented both England and Germany in youth football, but opted for the country of his birth in 2021. “In the end, I just listened to the feeling that over a long period of time kept telling me that it was the right decision to play for Germany, the land I was born in,” he told the Athletic.
“Still, it wasn’t an easy decision for me. I have a heart for Germany and a heart for England. Both hearts will keep on beating. England is home for me. It is difficult to find words for what England means for me because I have so many memories connected to very positive emotions.”
Musiala also opened up about his time at Chelsea, admitting the club “made me the player I am now”. He added: “They are family for me, and I am sure that I remain a member of the family, even though I’m no longer there.
“I wouldn’t be where I am right now without the trust and support of Chelsea and the FA, throughout the hard times and fun times. It wasn’t always easy, but they made me the player I am now.”
