What makes ‘silky’ Musiala so good? De Ligt explains how Bayern Munich teenager can reach the top

Teenager starring for club and countryProgress impressing those in MunichAbout to grace a World Cup stage

WHAT HAPPENED? The 19-year-old is already making impressive progress down that path, with 100 appearances taken in for the reigning Bundesliga champions while also earning 17 senior caps for Germany – having snubbed the option of representing England at international level. Musiala is considered to be one of the hottest prospects in world football, with those he works with on a daily basis in Munich impressed by a skill set that promises to see him cement a standing among the global elite at some stage.

WHAT THEY SAID: Quizzed by ESPN on what makes Musiala so good, Dutch defender De Ligt has said: “He is a really silky player, really smooth. His dribbling is quite strange because sometimes you think he loses the ball and then, with his leg, he just gets it back. He’s an amazing talent and he’s doing really well right now. I think the most important thing is that he keeps working hard, that he stays humble, but I’m sure that a guy like Jamal will do that.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Musiala is about to be given the grandest of stages on which to showcase his precocious talent, with Hansi Flick having named him in Germany’s squad for the 2022 World Cup finals.

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WHAT NEXT? Germany are set to open their World Cup campaign in Qatar against Japan on November 23, before going on to face Spain and Costa Rica in their other Group E fixtures.