When Bayern Munich executive Max Eberl saw the list of Ballon d’Or nominees, he noticed one glaring omission — Jamal Musiala.
Eberl was not pleased about Musiala’s exclusion.
“I’m happy for every player nominated for the Ballon d’Or, but we at FC Bayern are very surprised that Jamal Musiala is missing from this list,” Eberl told DPA (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “Jamal was one of the outstanding players at the EUROs, was voted into the best XI and was one of the tournament’s top scorers. In addition, FC Bayern reached the semifinals of the Champions League thanks to Jamal’s great performances. The fact that he’s not even one of the 30 best players of the last season is completely incomprehensible to us.
“In our eyes, Jamal is one of the most fascinating players in international football with absolutely exceptional, unique abilities. We are very proud of what he’s doing for FC Bayern and also for the national team.”
Harry Kane was the only Bayern Munich player on the list of nominees.
What it means
Well…not much really. The list (and the eventual winner) is — and has been — farcical at times over the years.
Why Eberl thinks it is important
Musiala has talks of his Ballon d’Or ambitions many times. If he does not feel like he can get the opportunity to win the trophy at Bayern Munich, it could cause him to re-examine his chances of winning the trophy if he stays in Bavaria rather than playing his trade for clubs like Manchester City, Liverpool FC, Real Madrid, or FC Barcelona — or any other team who offers a bigger in-country platform.
For the club executive, his job might have gotten a bit harder.
Does it matter?
In the end, probably not. Musiala was good during the year, but he was not consistently great. Like any young, developing player, Musiala has some work to do. If this gives him the motivation to want to prove people wrong, then maybe there will be a silver lining to this story.
Looking to catch-up on Bayern Munich’s weekend, plus a breakdown of how each Bundesliga match played out? Great, then check out the latest episode of Bavarian Podcast Works — The Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
