Jamal Musiala on his Impressive Season with Bayern Munich, World Cup Experience, and Swabian Dumplings

The 19-year-old rising star of Germany shares his story.

FC Bayern München starlet Jamal Musiala may only be 19, but his numbers in the season so far are impressive: the Germany international has already scored 10 goals, and – along with Borussia Mönchengladbach's Marcus Thuram – ranks third in number of attempts on goal. Blessed with a cheerful and confident attitude, the Stuttgart native is not easily discouraged and is eager to continue his learning curve and scoring success. Jamal Musiala also lets us in on his secret power food: Swabian dumplings!

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How happy were you with your performance at your first World Cup?

“It was a big learning curve and to play in the World Cup was also an amazing feeling and was a dream of mine. It wasn’t exactly how I ( Jamal Musiala) wanted it to go, but I will take it as motivation going forward and the learnings from it for hopefully the next one.”

Your numbers for the current season are impressive. 18 matches, 10 goals, 6 assists and you’re also top goal scorer for Bayern München. Have you surprised yourself? How would you assess those great statistics?

Jamal Musiala said, “I always have confidence in myself, and I know I can score goals and get assists as well. I just have to keep working and be as efficient as possible. When I get the chances, I have to take them as consistently as possible.”

Where does that confidence come from?

“It’s something I’ve always had. ( Jamal Musiala) just have that belief in myself, but I can’t exactly tell you where that came from. It’s just always been with me and I’ve taken it with me throughout the years.”

Regarding your style of play - are you maybe the last of a rare breed of street footballers? How would you describe your style?

“I don’t know if I’m the last because there are many players that can dribble and beat their players. For me, I just try to have fun on the pitch and to be as free as possible. I go into dribbles and do whatever I can to help the team win.”

Who was your idol in terms of dribbling and skills?

“Growing up, I watched a lot of Messi videos and Neymar as well. It always amazed me how they went into the dribbles, and it was always entertaining to watch them play.”

What made your attacking play so strong?

“We have lots of players who are technically very strong and can put the ball in the back of the net. We can all combine well with each other, and we have a good understanding with one another. I think once our attack gets in a flow and we get into a game, we create a lot of chances and then we try to be as efficient as possible.”

Borussia Dortmund is currently sat in third place in the table and your friend Jude Bellingham has been particularly impressive so far. You know him well – what are his footballing strengths?

“He’s an amazing player. He also has that confidence in himself, and you see that on the pitch by how he tries to lead the team and the hunger he has to win games. He has the technical abilities to go past players, score goals, and defend. He’s an all-round amazing player.”

What makes your friendship so special and what type of a guy is he?

“Over the years, the contact has not been as much as before when we always saw each other in England. But when we see each other, we have a laugh and a chat, and I think that will be there for a while.”, Jamal Musiala said.

What kind of contact do you have away from the pitch?

“We might have a message here or there, but it’s not a crazy contact.”

What role have your parents played in your career?

“They are as important as it gets. I wouldn’t be here where I am without them. They supported me throughout the years, took me to the training sessions, trained with me in the garden, talked to me, and were always there for me whenever something went wrong or even in good times. I just try to do everything to make them as proud as possible.”

You weren't even in school when you moved from Stuttgart to eastern Hesse. Nevertheless, how much Swabian is in you? Apparently, you love Swabian dumplings in a special vegetable tomato sauce?

“I can’t speak it. I think my mum sometimes speaks it and I try to copy because I think you just have to add an -sch at the end of words to sound Swabian. I just always liked these dumplings when I was in England. When we visited Germany, it was always one of the things I looked forward to and now I can have them more regularly. It’s one of my favourite dishes for sure.”

Is it true that during your time in England, you always took 7 or 8 packs back with you from Germany?

“I took a lot. I took as many as would fit into my backpack!”

How was your time in England? You went to school there, played for Chelsea, and still have many friends there.

“My time in England was amazing. I made a lot of friends that I still have contact with now and with whom I will probably have contact for a long time. I learned a lot from being in England as well and as a person, it was a good step for me to have that new experience and that new challenge of moving to England. I took all the experiences with me, such as the school system and how you train. I appreciate everything that happened in England, and I wouldn’t ask for anything different.”

Which place would you call home?

“We’ve moved places quite a lot in my lifetime and it’s a question we ask ourselves sometimes. For me, home is where my family is and I wouldn’t put it in a particular place. Wherever my family is, that is what I would consider home.”

What was it like for you to have to leave your familiar surroundings twice as a child?

“I was used to it already and I was always open to something new, so it wasn’t really a problem. Most people stay in one place for quite a long time, but I was always open to seeing new things.”

At what point did you realise that the path to becoming a professional football player was mapped out for you?

“I don’t know when exactly, but it was probably when I moved to England and started playing for Chelsea. I could slowly see that I could be doing this as my job, and I always had fun with it and didn’t put extra pressure on myself that this was the be-all and end-all. I still had school and everything, but I also had the mindset that I wanted to make it as a footballer.”

How important was the Chelsea youth academy for your development?

“The Chelsea youth programme is very good, and they produce a lot of players. I learned a lot from that time, and we had lots of training, tournaments, and games, and all of this stuff made me the player that I am today. I definitely appreciate that and you can see by how many players they produce that their youth system is very good.”

Was there ever a moment when you doubted you could make the breakthrough?

“There are phases when you have little injuries and I also had growing pains when I was 15 or 16. I wasn’t playing at the level that I usually played at, but I wouldn’t say that I doubted myself. I always tried to work hard and there are moments where things don’t seem as good as you would like them to be, but then you just have to keep going and that’s what I did.”

You transferred from Chelsea to FC Bayern's U17 team – how did you settle in? Was there an important point of contact?

“The only easy thing was that I could speak the language already and I had lived in Germany before, but the whole change at the start was not very easy for me. It took me a while to really settle in because all of my friends and everyone were back in England, and it was just something new. I played for Chelsea for eight years and then going to a whole new country was something where I needed time to settle in. But after a while, I felt very comfortable.”

At 17 you were already part of the core of professionals at the famous FC Bayern – how did that change your life?

“You’re in and around the first team and you see all these top players training and I was just trying to learn and watch what they did. Just being around them was an amazing experience for me and I tried to pick up as many things as I could. I was getting dropped off by my mum at training and it was amazing. I enjoyed being there and I was just trying to learn as much as possible.”, Jamal Musiala said.

Leroy Sané has made you the "Bambi" of the nation. You come across as the nice boy next door. Where does your down-to-earthiness come from?

“That’s a pretty tough question. It’s probably how I grew up and it’s probably thanks to my mum and dad who taught me these values when growing up. It’s tough for me to act any different and I’m just trying to be myself and keep that no matter what happens.”