When the flames of Euro 2024 rage up in cities such as Stuttgart, a miracle creator of football shines on this green field. He is Jamal Musiala, a young player who was born in Stuttgart but honed his career in the English football system before choosing to play for Germany. His football journey is a legend of cross-border interpretation.
Musiala was born in Stuttgart but moved to Southampton as a child
Musiala's football dreams began in Stuttgart, but his trajectory crossed borders. His father, Daniel Richard, competed for Nigeria, while his mother, Caroline, brought the family to England through the Erasmus programme in Southampton. Musiala quickly settled into the local culture and began his football career at Southampton's City Central FC.
His talent was quickly recognized. The first coach, Rosh Bhatti, once predicted on Facebook: "Even though he is only seven years old, I am confident that one day he will become a professional footballer." However, in the battle with Arsenal and Chelsea, Southampton regretted the loss of the football prodigy. Chelsea were able to recruit the youngster through a job Musiala's mother had secured at Maurizio Sarri.
Kevin Betsy was coach of Musiala during his time at the England youth team
At Chelsea, Musiala's football career has become more serious. Not only did he show amazing talent on the pitch, but he also excelled academically. He learned to read and write English, and even before leaving school, wrote a wonderful poem about his football career. The poem is titled "Moments", and it reveals his love and pursuit of football.
While playing football at school, he first met Gareth Southgate, who was then the FA's head of elite development. Southgate was impressed with the youngster, telling his coach during a training session: "Our number eight Jamal is a 'very good player'. Musiala lived up to that expectation, scoring a number of goals in the game to help his team win.
While at school, Musiala got to know Gareth Southgate, then head of elite development at the FA
However, the wheels of fate did not stop turning. A number of factors eventually led Musiala to leave Chelsea and also England. Bayern Munich extended an olive branch to him and offered him a brighter path to football. Here he grew rapidly and made his senior debut within a year, becoming the youngest player in the club's history.
Bayern's team-mates encouraged him to play for Germany, and then-Germany coach Joachim Loew was also credited with being a key figure in the decision. Musiala eventually chose to play for his native country, Germany, as a native German speaker. This decision also allowed him to shine on the stage of the European Championship and become the focus of the world.
Now, as he runs on the pitch at the European Championships, we can't help but sigh: this may be his fate. A football miracle creator who came out of Stuttgart, with his talent and hard work to write his own football legend. His story teaches us that football knows no borders and that with dreams and hard work, it can shine anywhere.