Jamal Musiala has spoken to FourFourTwo about just how nervous he was when he joined in his first Bayern Munich training session.
The wonderkid moved to Bayern in 2019 from Chelsea’s academy – but just a year later, he made his Bundesliga debut to become the youngest-ever Bayern player in the Bundesliga, aged just 17 years and 115 days.
But while his composure on the ball and calm demeanor may suggest that he took the crazy year in his stride, Musiala now tells FFT that he was far from relaxed on the surface when he started training with the likes of Alphonso Davies and Thomas Muller.
“I really wasn’t expecting to be involved in the first team so early,” reflects Musiala, the incredulity still clear in his voice. “I remember my first training session with Bayern’s first team. I was so nervous.
“Robert Lewandowski was doing shooting practice – he didn’t miss once. Joshua Kimmich was strolling, dinking the ball around so effortlessly. Every pass was perfect. Alphonso Davies sprinted past me and I thought to myself, ‘Man, this is crazy’. I was terrified of making a mistake.”
Despite being surrounded by superstars, however, the 20-year-old says that his colleagues made him feel totally at ease – by lightly mocking him. It made him feel part of the group though, like the others Die Roten players took him under their wing – especially designated raumdeuter and dressing room joker, Thomas Muller.
“They’re so good with young players here,” says Musiala, smiling. “They all made fun of me for being so young, but it made me feel like I was part of the team right away. Thomas Muller is incredible: he’s so intelligent and has such an understanding of space on the field.
“He’s very demanding in training – he pushes me to be better.”
Want more on Bundesliga wonderkids? Check out FourFourTwo’s latest YouTube video: How Jude Bellingham Plays 3 Positions At The Same Time