Jamal Musiala: MD8's Man of the Matchday putting fire in Bayern Munich's belly
Amazing, magnificent, mesmerising: the plaudits for Jamal Musiala - the pearl of Bayern Munich - continue to land at the feet of this talented teen who danced his way past Bayer Leverkusen and onto the podium as the Bundesliga's Man of the Matchday.
Winless in four and going into a difficult Friday-night test against Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern needed something special to lift the mood among fans of the defending champions, still stunned by their team's recent 1-0 reverse against neighbours Augsburg. The sombre pre-match vibes at the Allianz Arena were soon blown away by a side on fire, however, with Musiala the man to light things up.
After assisting an early Leroy Sane opener, the Germany international drove home his fifth Bundesliga goal in just his seventh appearance in the division this term. Another Musiala assist followed as Sadio Mane joined the first-half goalscoring party. And with Thomas Müller adding Bayern's fourth before the end, Julian Nagelsmann's side had signalled their return to top-flight form, with their teenaged star flying the flag.
Watch: Musiala and Bayern revel in win over Leverkusen
"We all want to win, to be the number one [and] that's what we showed today," Musiala declared after the 4-0 triumph against Die Werkself. "We all felt the pressure, so kept the focus on ourselves. [But] we're not completely out of the woods yet; we have to deliver in our upcoming games," the player affectionally known as Bambi added in his post-match interviews.
Having already matched his Bundesliga goals tally for last season, Musiala's seven in all competitions for the campaign to date means he is Bayern's top scorer in 2022/23. With his strike against Leverkusen, the fleet-footed attacker brought his overall total for Bayern in the Bundesliga to 16 goals. Only Jadon Sancho and Horst Köppel previously achieved that feat at a younger age than the Stuttgart-born player.
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"It's absolutely clear, it's something extraordinary to have the skills he has; to be the overall package at this age," Bayern legend Müller - who is level with Musiala on three assists for the season - told Kicker following his team's fourth Bundesliga victory of the season, a result that took Bayern to fourth in the standings. "It's completely understandable that the football world likes to watch [Jamal] play," the 33-year-old added. Club captain Manuel Neuer, meanwhile, chimed in to say that Musiala "is a key player".
Having recently returned from an international break that helped to cement his rocketing reputation and bring his cap total with Germany to 17, Musiala didn't let up once he slipped Bayern's famous red jersey - well, their special-edition Oktoberfest kit at least - back on this week.
Involved in three goals in a game for the first time during the rout of Leverkusen, the Bundesliga's Man of the Matchday is hungry for more in the busy weeks ahead. "Even though the season's going well for me, I still want to improve and score more goals," he said. The footballing world had better beware.
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