By Efosa Taiwo
Bayern Munich teenage sensation Jamal Musiala has opened up on why he chose to represent German over England, where he spent majority of his childhood.
Musiala, who also has Nigerian roots, represented England at U15, U16, U17 and U21 level throughout his childhood, as well as the Germany U16 side.
He, however, soon returned to Germany where he teamed up with Bayern Munich in 2019.
Having spent the majority of his childhood in England, though, Musiala faced a tough decision when it came to choosing which national team he wanted to represent at senior level.
“I’d had a tough choice to make,” Musiala explained exclusively to FFT. “I regularly chatted to the people at the FA and the DFB.
“They both made it clear that they wanted me to play for them. It was a difficult decision, as I was born in Germany but most of my memories growing up are in England – both are a part of me. It was an incredible feeling to get my first Germany cap.
“It felt right pulling that shirt on and representing my birth nation. I knew that I’d made the right decision.
Musiala made his Germany debut in March 2021 against Iceland, a few months before being selected for the Euro 2020 squad. While his Germany side lost against England at Wembley in the last 16 of the tournament, Musiala didn’t spend any time thinking he had chosen to represent the wrong country.
“England were brilliant that summer [2021], but I had no regrets,” Musiala explained. “I still want England to do well and I was so pleased for Jude [Bellingham] and his team-mates.
“England have amazing young players and it’s great to see them being given chances to shine. Potential opportunities to play wasn’t something that crossed my mind when making my decision. I didn’t look at which country had the better youngsters coming through and think, ‘Well, I’ll probably get more opportunities to play with Germany’. I chose Germany because it felt right.”
