Jamal Musiala, the 22-year-old wonderkid of Bayern Munich, picked up a serious injury in the Club World Cup quarterfinal. That riveting game came against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Friday. Sadly, in the opening half of the game, Musiala suffered a broken fibula. The seriousness of the injury required medical personnel to directly transport him off the gridiron on a stretcher. Bayern Munich gave PSG all it could handle in a scintillating contest. Even after going down to just nine players, PSG held on for a 2-0 win.
Due to the nature of Musiala’s injury, emergency medical care was needed and he was rushed to a hospital for further assessment. Early evaluations showed that he would need surgery to repair the broken bone. Musiala will be out for at least four months after undergoing the procedure. This ongoing major blow has consequences for him and the team.
Musiala’s disappointment was made worse by the unfortunate injury, as it turned Bayern Munich’s complete elimination from Club World Cup. Despite their efforts, Luis Enrique’s PSG capitalized on a stunning counter-attack to secure their spot in the tournament’s semi-finals. The loss hurts doubly for Musiala, who has been one of the best and most exciting players in the world for his age.
Manuel Neuer, Musiala’s then-teammate and now-captain of Bayern Munich, decried the offense. He stressed the emotional impact the injury has had on his life. Even more so, because of the razor’s edge emotional bond he has with his teammates. Neuer blasted PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for his disrespectful behavior. He cited the play that led to Musiala’s injury as a prime example of this lack of disrespect.
“It’s a stroke of bad luck. It hurts him [Neuer] more because it is his team-mate but Donnarumma isn’t responsible.” – Thibaut Courtois
Neuer went on to explain the incident in more detail, particularly focusing on the conduct of Donnarumma. He remarked, “It was a situation where you don’t have to go in like that. That’s risk-taking. He was prepared to accept the risk of injuring his opponent.” These reflections point to the pressure surrounding the match and the self-accountability players have to one another in high stakes competitions.
Jamal Musiala has a surgery planned in Germany on Sunday. His resolve on the road to recovery is just as strong, as he has shown time and time again when bouncing back from knocks on the gridiron. Both his fans and teammates are very much looking forward to the kind of return from injury we hope he will deliver.
Musiala’s immense potential has made him one of the most important players for Bayern Munich. His absence will surely be missed in the next few matches. Recognizing his gifts as an individual, few doubt that someone with his grit and fortitude will bounce back from this fall better than most.
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