As the old saying goes, with age comes wisdom — and that is what made the darts that Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl threw at the Ballon d’Or committee over Jamal Musiala’s exclusion from the list of 30 candidates so transparent.
The Ballon d’Or is — and has been — fraudulent for a numbers of reasons. From the 2020 cancellation of the award (robbing Robert Lewandowski) to the incessant alternating of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (even in years when they were not at their best) to the bizarro candidate lists that are released every year (Cole freakin’ Palmer?), the award has lost its way.
So…why would Bayern Munich take such an affront to the exclusion of Musiala — who was good last season, but not great? Well, Musiala’s exposure to winning awards like the Ballon d’Or at Bayern Munich could play a key role in whether or not the youngster inks a contract extension at the club (per Bild via @iMiaSanMia):
Max Eberl went out of his way and made today’s statements about Jamal Musiala’s Ballon d’Or snub because he wants to show the player that the entire club thinks highly of him and publicly supports him with full force.
One reason for that is that Bayern will have to fight for an extension of Musiala’s contract, which expires in 2026, during the course of this season. The club is determined to make Musiala one of the most important cornerstones of their future. But since the German international is on the radar of many top clubs such as Manchester City, and will be able to choose his next career step, Bayern will have to work hard to make it attractive for him to stay at the club.
Eberl firmly understands that Musiala has his eyes on multiple prizes — both individual and team-based:
The sporting perspective is particularly important: Musiala repeatedly underlines his desire to win many collective, but also individual titles – which also includes the Ballon d’Or. As head of football, it is Eberl’s main task to convince Musiala that he can achieve all his goals at FC Bayern. That’s why today’s statements are important as a signal to Musiala that the club will do everything to ensure that he has the best conditions for success.
While it is not the end of the world for Musiala to not be considered one of the 30 best players in the world last season (the list is a sham), the Germany international could potentially start to have doubts about his ability to win trophies (of all kinds) in Bavaria. That might seem ludicrous to us as outsiders, but Musiala has goals….big goals.
The good part is that Bayern Munich — and Eberl — are firmly aware of what they are dealing with and what motivates Musiala. It will be a battle to fight off the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool FC, Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona, but Bayern Munich is primed and ready to do everything it can to convince Musiala that he achieve everything he wants from his career, right in Bavaria.
Poll
WIll Bayern Munich sign Jamal Musiala to a contract extension?
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Yes – no brainer, both sides will agree.
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I don’t know.
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No – he’s going to Manchester City.
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No – he’s going to Liverpool.
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No – he’s going to Real Madrid.
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No – he’s going to FC Barcelona.
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No – he’ll shock us all and go somewhere else.
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Vote Now
Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show Season 4, Episode 8
Bayern Munich has three real games under its belt with Vincent Kompany and there is plenty to analyze and discuss regarding those performances. So…let’s not waste any time and get right to discussing everything! Here is what we have on tap this episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- Why we disagreed with Vincent Kompany’s approach for the first two Bundesliga games, why questioning the coach’s decision-making is not a bad thing, and how there can still be faith in a project despite having questions about it.
- In the end, we just want Kompany to avoid the same mistakes that felled both Julian Nagelsmann and Hansi Flick.
- Talking through four emerging storylines that we should get clarity in the coming weeks.
- Why Jamal Musiala not being on the Ballon d’Or list might not seem like a big deal to us, but could weigh heavily on the mind of the youngster.
Song of the Week: “Bang Pop” by Free Energy
Back in 2010, this song was all over Philadelphia alt-rock radio. While the band is not together any longer, they did leave an impression (at least locally for me) with this tune.
A fun song with an equally energetic video, this is just a feel good song if there ever was one. I honestly don’t even know how far this song reached the masses, but it had a strong moment to say the least:
Entertainment Rundown
While I am still on a hiatus from show watching (stupid life getting the way!), I am compiling a deep dive on Game of Thrones, which we can all use for discussion in the wake of that faulty season two of House of the Dragon.
Stay tuned for that one in the coming weeks…
Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Germany takes on Hungary and the Netherlands
The German national team is about to embark on a new era.
Former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann will attempt to figure out what he has with this group and also ponder a way to best position these players — while also figuring out what combinations might work best together.
With games against Hungary and the Netherlands, Germany will get two stiff tests in the coming days. Let’s talk about it all right here! This is what we have on tap for this episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show:
- Catching up on what has been going on in the German national team camp.
- How do the position groups stack up? The defense has some questions…the midfield must have answers…and the attack needs to prove itself.
- What German national team fans need to see in each of these matches.
- A look at the projected starting XI for Saturday’s match vs. Hungary.
- Predictions for each match.
Predictions
The German national team’s upcoming slate of matches should test Julian Nagelsmann’s new core group.
The Germans are talented, but there is a drop-off in depth from where the team stood in the EUROs last summer. There is a very much a “prove it” feel to this group, but there is great optimism.
All that said, Hungary and the Netherlands will not be pushovers and Nagelsmann will likely play around with his lineups and personnel groupings a bit.
The Germans should have enough to fight off a solid Hungary squad, but might struggle to knock off the Dutch.
Predictions: Germany 2-1 Hungary; Netherlands 2-2 Germany
Bonus UEFA Nations League Predictions
- Kazakhstan 1-2 Norway
- Lithuania 2-0 Cyprus
- Belgium 3-0 Israel
- Wales 1-2 Türkiye
- Iceland 2-1 Montenegro
- Slovenia 1-2 Austria
- Kosovo 1-1 Romania
- France 3-1 Italy
- Faroe Islands 0-3 North Macedonia
- Ireland 0-4 England
- Armenia 2-2 Latvia
- Georgia 2-1 Czechia
- Moldova 1-1 Malta
- Greece 1-2 Finland
- Ukraine 2-0 Albania
- Netherlands 3-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Luxembourg 1-2 Belarus
- Bulgaria 2-2 Northern Ireland
- Denmark 1-1 Serbia
- Slovakia 2-1 Azerbaijan
- Gibraltar 1-1 Liechtenstein
- Portugal 4-0 Scotland
- Switzerland 1-2 Spain
- Sweden 2-0 Estonia
- Croatia 2-1 Poland
- Cyrpus 1-3 Kosovo
- Türkiye 2-0 Iceland
- France 2-1 Belgium
- Slovenia 1-0 Kazakhstan
- Romania 2-1 Lithuania
- Israel 0-3 Italy
- Norway 2-2 Austria
- Montenegro 1-3 Wales
- Latvia 2-0 Faroe Islands
- Ireland 1-1 Greece
- Albania 1-2 Georgia
- England 4-0 Finland
- Czechia 1-1 Ukraine
- Andorra 1-1 Malta
- Hungary 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
- North Macedonia 1-1 Armenia
Prediction Records
Last Week Bundesliga: 3-6
Overall Bundesliga: 9-9
UEFA Nations League:
Champions League: 0-0
DFB-Pokal: 26-6
Total: 35-16
Perfect Picks: 5 (when the score and winner is predicted exactly)