Löw reveals how he persuaded Musiala to play for Germany instead of England
| Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images |
Eligible to play for both England and Germany, Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala chose to represent the latter in 2021.
Joachim Löw, Germany's coach at the time, revealed that he went to great lengths to persuade Musiala, recalling a trip to Munich in 2021 with then German Football Association sporting director Oliver Bierhoff.
"Oliver Bierhoff and I went to Munich in the spring of 2021 and talked to him, including his mother of course. He grew up in England, had his friends there and spent his entire youth development there. He was already thinking about whether he wanted to play for England or Germany," Löw told Kicker.
“It was the only time in my time as national team coach that I made a promise to a player: Even though he wasn't a regular at Bayern, I told him that if he chose us, he would definitely be playing at Euro 2021 in the summer,” he added.
Musiala, then an England Under-21 international, went on to make his senior international debut for Germany in March 2021. And just as Löw had promised, he was in the squad for that year's European Championship.
The 21-year-old has represented the German senior national team 37 times, racking up seven goals and eight assists.