Earlier this month, the French Football magazine set off a firestorm in Germany by excluding Bayern Munich superstar Jamal Musiala from the final 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or award. Bayern’s entire organization publicly supported Musiala amid the disrespectful move, but there’s always room for a critic to stick his foot in his mouth.
That critic turned out to be former Bayern player and current media personality Didi Hamann. Hamann labeled Musiala as a “individualistic, solo performer [who] doesn’t make players around him better.”
Musiala has remained mum on the issue and instead elected to let his play do the talking. Since the Hamann interview, Musiala has torched defenses with a handful of world class performances.
In his postgame interview (via @iMiaSanMia), Musiala said, “I’m always open to criticism. I hear what others say, but for me the most important thing is what the coach wants and what my teammates say. I’m focused on myself and trying to get better with every game. I’m very self critical. I try to enjoy my football and don’t pay much attention to what’s being said in the media.”
With the weight of the world on the 21-year old, Musiala has responded with professionalism and maturity. Keep it up, Jamal!
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s 5-0 demolition of Werder Bremen? Awesome, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
