Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala has praised and thanked his former under-17 coach Miroslav Klose, saying “he made me a more complete player.”
“I have to thank Miroslav Klose a lot for that time, because he was my coach on the U-17s, and he showed me no mercy,” he wrote in a column published by The Players’ Tribune website.
Klose, the all-time World Cup record scorer, is mostly remembered for his goals, but according to Musiala, the 2014 world champion put a lot of focus on defending.
“When it came to defending, I just didn’t get it. I was immature in that sense. I just want to attack and take people on, and he would drill it into me every single day that I had to defend,” Musiala said.
“I’m not going to lie, it was annoying at times. But he made me a more complete player, and we have such a good relationship,” he continued, and added: “Without him, I wouldn’t have made the jump so quick to the first team.”
Musiala also revealed that he was very nervous ahead of his first training session with the professional squad, saying he “felt like an intern on the first day at the office.”
“I remember just walking into the dressing room and standing there, basically. I was so scared to sit in somebody’s seat by accident. I was just trying to be invisible until someone told me where to sit.
“I thought they were going to be so tough on me. But literally, everybody was so nice and welcoming,” he recalled.
