Jamal Musiala nicknamed ‘Bambi’ for his dribbling skills has always been a big fan of Brazilian superstar Neymar. We can trace the further proof of this in Bayern Munich’s recent UEFA Champions League fixture against Galatasaray. The Bavarians scored 3 past the Turkish club, only conceding 1 in return.
The German international assisted the second goal, which helped Bayern steal back their lead. Then he scored the last one, which helped Die Roten seal the deal. Musiala had a great game overall with his best performance coming in the first half and the latter stages of the second half.
After scoring his 23rd goal for Bayern Munich, the Stuttgart native celebrated classically. It was the celebration created by his idol, Neymar Jr. The Brazilian winger created it while playing for Santos FC. Menino was young and came up with new celebrations often. Neymar still hasn’t lost the habit of creating new celebrations every other game.
It was a match against the Bolivian club, Bolívar. After scoring a penalty, he came up with this celebration. The celebration has become a classic ever since, as he only used it twice. Musiala bringing up this celebration after so many years, just shows how much he admires the Brazilian.
The celebration is pretty easy. First, the player bows down, then simultaneously moves his right hand downwards. It is just like when a magician receives applause for his magic trick. During the applause, the magician bows and shows that he is grateful for your presence.
The admiration isn’t just one sided though. In an interview with DAZN, Neymar admired the youngster when the interviewer asked him about the German. The Brazilian described his admirer as ‘quality’. They played a game where Neymar had to describe the players in one word.
Musiala also got to live every kid’s dream when he took a picture with his idol after winning the 2020 UCL. The 20-year-old also swapped shirts with Neymar after the last season’s RO16 fixture against PSG.
Neymar’s impact on Musiala’s Career
Jamal Musiala has been very vocal about his idols. Anyone can guess them just by watching Bambi’s play style. The German international has impressive dribbling skills. The 20-year-old learned those skills from his idols Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr.
Growing up, I watched a lot of Messi videos and Neymar as well. It always amazed me how they went into the dribbles and it was always entertaining to watch them play.
The winger’s admiration for the duo is crystal clear.
Musiala’s on-the-ball abilities are very much inspired by the Brazilian. The touches the German takes and his ability to progress the ball are very similar. The Bayern winger’s one-on-one skills also have a Brazilian touch to them.
Even after admiring the South American superstars, the midfielder isn’t just a mere copy of them. Musiala is extremely versatile in midfield and can also play as a winger. He is also very capable defensively, as we sometimes see him in a defensive midfield duo.
We can see Menino’s impact the most when the German plays as a winger or takes up the no.10 role. He mostly plays as an inverted winger, giving space for the full-backs to attack or making one-two passes inside. As a no.10, he creates chances and space for other players.
The Chelsea academy attendee can also operate as a defensive midfielder. His stunning passing skills shine the most when he plays in this position. Bambi does a great job linking the defence and attack. Musiala is paired up with another CDM who stays back and gives Jamal freedom to attack.
Career so far
Jamal Musiala has been breaking records since the start of his career. He has already made more than 100 appearances for the German giants and is the youngest one to do so. The German international is also Bayern’s youngest player to play in the Bundesliga.
The former English international has already scored 23 goals for the Bayern first-team. Jamal has also earned 25 caps for the German national team and scored twice in the process. He is off to a great start this season with 2 goals and 3 assists in 10 appearances. Fans are eager to see how many of Neymar’s celebrations can he manage this season.
Neymar might only be 31, but his career seems to be at the brink of an end. Injuries have been a major part of Menino’s game and a recent cruciate ligament tear will keep the winger out till May 2024. The Brazilian’s play style is also a big reason that he might retire.
Creative players have a shorter career compared to other roles. As seen with Cristiano Ronaldo, he changed his playing style to a more goal scoring role as he aged. With Neymar’s move to the Middle East, it might be a hint of his retirement.
The Brazilian doesn’t enjoy football without creativity. This might be a time for Musiala to step up and take the spot as a new leader in this dying role.
