Jamal Musiala Could Be the Breakout Star of 2020/21

Since Jadon Sancho swapped Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund in 2017 to blossom into a global footballer, German sides have been hyper-focused on English academies and trying to find their own £100m players.

The most high-profile example was Bayern Munich trying to throw £30m at Chelsea for then-inexperienced winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, but while the Blues were able to resist Bayern's advances with that one, they failed to stop the German side from poaching talented teenagers Jamal Musiala and Bright Arrey-Mbi in July 2019.

Of the pair, it was Musiala who was seen as the biggest loss for Chelsea. There was a belief that the teenager could rise right to the top of the football mountain, and just over one year later, we're starting to see why Bayern were so excited to sign him.

After a season of starring for Bayern's reserves, Musiala was brought into the senior set-up post-lockdown, becoming the youngest player to appear for the club in the Bundesliga when he made his debut in June against Freiburg, and he also sat on the bench for two Champions League fixtures.

A permanent promotion to Hansi Flick's first team followed, and Musiala has already bagged three goals in just seven Bundesliga appearances this year, the first of which made him the club's youngest-ever scorer.

Such records are impressive at any team, but at a club like Bayern, who have won eight consecutive league titles and are reigning European champions, it carries even more weight. You have to be a special kind of talent, but Musiala is exactly that.

Predominantly an attacking midfielder, Musiala is comfortable anywhere in the attacking third and loves to use his fluid movement to drift around the field in search of possession. He's the type of player who actively seeks out the ball, and his quick feet and outstanding dribbling skills make him a nightmare for any defender.

While he still needs to work on a few aspects of his game - passing in the final third isn't his strong suit - he already plays at an alarmingly high level and still has almost the entirety of his senior career ahead of him.

“When a 17-year-old comes on, the demands on someone as talented as him are as high as they are for any other player,” team-mate Thomas Muller recently told bundesliga.com. “Jamal had some great moments today. In some situations you could still see his inexperience. He can work on that over time, but overall I’m very happy with him.”

It's not hard to see why people are so excited about Musiala. He's already being described as 'the one that got away' from Chelsea and potentially the catalyst for another decade of domestic dominance for Bayern.

Even at international level, there were mini celebrations when Musiala was selected in the England Under-21 squad back in November as it meant that the 17-year-old had chosen to continue his national career with the Three Lions instead of the land of his birth, Germany.

His decision isn't even final at this point and won't be official until he plays in a competitive game for a senior team, but England fans were sent into a frenzy by the realisation that Musiala still remains loyal to England.

Musiala's versatility has helped him earn plenty of minutes at senior level this year. Bayern are so strong in every attacking area, but when one player needs a rest, Musiala is their to fill the gap. He's switched between midfield and left wing, and he's excelled in both positions.

Flick clearly has plenty of faith in Musiala, and rightly so. He's a special talent who is not simply being primed for the future, but is instead ready to make an immediate impact.

If he can continue this electric form, Musiala will demand more minutes in arguably Europe's strongest lineup, and all that exposure will only make him better. It's an enthralling cycle that has fans of Bayern, England and football as a whole drooling with excitement.

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