Jamal Musiala: “I think we have a great team”

Musiala sat down with bundesliga.com for an exclusive interview during their pre-season tour to the USA, where Bayern were preparing to kick off the new season, starting this Saturday against RB Leipzig in the Supercup.

It’s the first potential silverware of a campaign where, as ever, Bayern are out to win the lot.

Watch: Previewing the 2022 Supercup

“As a team, we want to win the Bundesliga, the Champions League, have lots of goals,” the 19-year-old said Stateside. “We want to win as many titles as possible and I think we have a great team to be able to do that.”

Musiala certainly knows what a great Bayern team looks like. He was part of the side that won the historic sextuple in 2020 under Hansi Flick and already has three Bundesliga winner’s medals at home since arriving from Chelsea in 2019.

Watch: Musiala’s career milestones

He’s also seen how the record champions have strengthened further this summer, with the additions of Sadio Mane, Matthijs de Ligt, Ryan Gravenberch, Noussair Mazraoui and fellow teenager Mathys Tel.

The Germany international knows he can’t just sit back with such excellent players around if he wants to add to his 78 senior Bayern appearances.

“For me, it’s important to take another step going forward into the next season. I don’t think I need a lot of upper body strength. That might slow me down, so I would work on more explosive stuff that will keep me quick and agile.

“I just want to be available, then play as much as possible and just to keep working on my game. Just to be in and around all these amazing young players, it’s an honour already.”

Watch: The best of Bayern in 2021/22

Honours are something Musiala is already familiar with during his still very young career. So what about the biggest one of all?

“I think every player wants to win the World Cup. I think we want to go into the World Cup with the best feeling possible. Win lots of games and go into the World Cup with a lot of confidence, and I think everyone is looking forward to it.”

Capped 15 times at senior level for Germany, Musiala appears a certainty to be on the plane to Qatar if he keeps up his trajectory. Alongside him on the flight will likely be a club teammate who first coined the youngster Bambi. A nickname that has very much stuck…

“I got it quite early on in my career. I think Leroy [Sane] gave it to me. I like it. It doesn’t really bother me or anything. I think it’s kind of nice. I think I’ll probably grow out of it at some point, but I think the name will stick for a long time.”

He might be named after the cartoon deer, but there’s no hint of spindly legs slipping on ice when Musiala’s on the pitch, as he dips in and out of challenges with perfect close control.

“I dribble in tight spaces to get out of tight situations. Dribble and be an offensive threat. That is what I try and aim for.

“I just play as free as possible. I don’t really think too much and have as much fun as possible with not a lot of stress or anything trying to hold me back.”

Will any Leipzig player be able to hold Musiala back when the Supercup comes around? That’s when he and Bayern kick off their latest quest for silverware.