Jamal Musiala is a talent extraordinaire. A wonderkid by every sense of the world. Still only 21, Musiala is already a mainstay at Bayern Munich.
Musiala never hides on a big occasion or in a big game for that matter. Just ask Real Madrid. A creative force, Musiala is one of the top rankers for chances created in Europe whilst also being extremely efficient with his dribbling and take-ons, finding himself in top 5 of the list this season.
While his talent and ability are for all to see and admire, his origins and faith are a bit more complex to decode.
Born to a Nigerian father and German mother, Jamal Musiala has mixed race origins. His father Daniel Richard, has British-Nigerian roots while his mother Caroline is of German origin with Polish roots. These distinct layers of race make Musiala eligible to play for England, Germany and Nigeria.
After he was born in Stuttgart, Germany, Jamal spent a majority of his childhood in England where he enrolled himself at Cobham, Chelsea’s famous youth academy system. Rising up the ranks, he was offered his first professional contract at 16, but chose to take up Bayern’s offer and moved to his country of birth Germany instead.
This allegiance to his mother nation can also be seen in his decision to play for the German National Team instead of England, even though he spent a majority of his formative years there.
As for Musiala’s faith, it is comparatively less straightforward. His African connections which span across Nigeria and Ghana may tie him to Islam. However, his mother Caroline and father Daniel on the other hand place their faith in Christianity, which naturally attributes the same to Musiala. However, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
In April 2023, Jamal organized an Iftar for people in need in Nigeria during Ramadan, arranging a dinner for underprivileged kids irrespective of their religion.
Even during Bayern Munich’s official annual tradition at the start of the season, where the players raise a glass of Bavarian beer, Musiala was seen holding one which wouldn’t have been allowed by Islam.
Musiala’s celebration of Christmas, as seen in his festive greetings on social media, further hints at his Christian connection. His cheerful “Merry Christmas” messages reflect his participation in Christian traditions, even though his exact religious affiliation remains unclear.
Looking into his name, “Jamal”, is an Arabic masculine Christian name. This also doesn’t help in giving too much of an insight as it is widely used among both Christians and Muslims, mostly in Islamic countries.
Another source which led people to believe that Musiala might be of Muslim faith, was a clip with streamer IShowSpeed who met the Bayern midfielder at the restaurant.
In this recorded interaction, the two exchange some pleasantries and once Musiala leaves Speed says to the camera with delight, “Muslim, I just met Muslim.”
This quote from Speed has got nothing to do with Musiala’s religious beliefs and is in fact just Speed being himself. The streamer has tons of compilations highlighting is struggles in pronouncing footballers names.
It’s easy to figure from the clip that Speed wants to convey the excitement of meeting Musiala, but instead casually mispronounces his last name as “Muslim”
He made the same mistake on another livestream with Alphonso Davies. When Musiala’s name came up in the conversation, Davies looked extremely confused and responded with a puzzled, “Who?” as Speed referred to him as “Muslim.”
All these stories provide no conclusive evidence if Musiala is indeed Christian or follows Islam. Even the fans online have some residual doubts despite the faith of that of their parents.
Although Musiala hasn’t been outspoken about his faith, he has spoken about his connections to his father’s home, Nigeria, even though he has never been.
He never had the time growing up to go to Africa, but in an interview he revealed how is dad kept him in touch with his side of family roots.
“My dad is from Nigeria and he always tells me about the culture and everything about African foods. My dad made fufu while I was growing up back in England; he made this dish every other day.” Musiala says.
For Musiala however religion is never his primary principle. He is a footballer who loves the game and plays like it. Nothing else really matters. That is not to say that he doesn’t give enough respect to things that require so. Far from it. His allegiance to the country on the side of his mother and looking out for the needy back in his father’s home country makes him a brilliant footballer with a good heart.
Musiala even continues to give back to his community he grew up in during his time in England. During his early days, he lived in Southampton and was helped out by FC City Central to hone his football talent. Now a star in the making himself, Jamal organizes packages for children struggling and turning to crime in the city to get into football to keep them off the streets and give them a better future.
Bambi, as fondly he is called in Germany is known for his exceptional dribbling and quick feet, continues to rise up the ranks and make a case for himself as one of the best players of the new generation. All this whilst continuing to mature into a genuine person.
While his religion remains largely unclear as to what it might be, it never guides his actions or stops him from helping people and his community irrespective of their faith. What a gem.