Report: Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala might prefer England for international play, but Germany could make its pitch today

Bayern Munich youngster Jamal Musiala has a lot of important decisions to make in February:

1. Should he extend his contract with Bayern Munich? Well, that seems easy enough despite some differing reports that have emerged.
2. What country will he play for internationally — Germany or England (sorry Nigeria!)? This is a little more complex.

According to Bild (behind the Bild+ paywall), Musiala’s respective decisions might be extremely difficult for the youngster with the call on his international career a more daunting task:

Before the mandatory international matches in March, Musiala must decide whether he wants to play for England or Germany in the future. According to information from BILD, the DFB’s sporting management is making a big internal push to convince Musiala — but Jogi Löw (60) himself has not yet gone fully on the offensive, and was still cautious about talking to him because of Corona. Manager Oliver Bierhoff (52) wants to organize a meeting between Löw and Musiala as soon as possible. Löw will be in the stadium for the Bayern game against Hoffenheim. It’s quite possible that Musiala will even be in the starting eleven because of the midfield problems and can finally convince Jogi. Coach Hansi Flick (55) pushes his youngster in the direction of the DFB: “I have only taken note of the fact that it is supposed to be the case that he will be invited in March. Basically, I think it’s good when we have young talent in Germany.”

Sounds good for Germany, right? Well, England is not giving up and might even have an edge:

England national coach Gareth Southgate (50), unlike Jogi, has already had personal contact with Musiala, called him several times. In principle, Jamal always felt more drawn to England. He speaks better English than German, and Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham is his closest buddy from the national U-team.

Yikes! Have no fear, though, Musiala’s Bayern Munich teammates are putting in the work recruiting the youngster that Löw has not put forth:

But since he has been training with the Bayern professionals, he has been advised to go to Germany more. The Bayern national players are trying to convince him of the DFB. And his manager Flick could one day become the national coach.

BFW Analysis

On the surface, it seems as if Musiala is set to extend his deal with Bayern Munich, so we should expect that to go through. As for his international career, things get murky.

At 17, Musiala has already lived the footballing life. His career has taken him to both England and Germany with most of his formative years spent speaking English and living in England. Musiala is open about what he misses most about living in England: his friends (as he told Bayern Munich in a very sincere interview).

If anyone is equipped to make such a tough decision at such a tough age, it is Musiala. No matter what he chooses, though, it is clear that any outside influences will not matter much. Like he has shown on the pitch, the youngster has a maturity beyond his years and has a laser-focus on the task at-hand.