Bundesliga
Musiala more Zidane and Ronaldinho – Kompany
It’s been a bumper week for Jamal Musiala, netting a first senior hat-trick against Mainz in the DFB Cup on the back of a headed Bundesliga goal against Bochum. Is he now emerging as a prolific goal-getter for Bayern Munich? Not necessarily, according to Vincent Kompany, who sees his protégé more in the mould of Zinédine Zidane and Ronaldinho than a Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Seven goals in all appearances in all competitions this season has been the headline stat for the mercurial playmaker. That’s a return of one every 100 minutes he’s been on the pitch and is a marked improvement on 2023/24’s numbers, where Musiala posted 12 goals in 38 games at a rate of one nearly every 240 minutes.
It seems the 21-year-old has even started adding headed goals to once customary finishes with his dancing feet, after nodding in against Bochum and now also Mainz. That’s two of his last four, having only scored two of his first 46 for Bayern with his head.
“Headers are not among my biggest qualities so I'm always happy when I score one,” the talented attacker told bundesliga.com in the wake of Sunday’s finish.
Watch: Musiala - "I'm always happy to score a header"
It’s little surprise, then, that his goalscoring has become the talk of German football. But Kompany’s not having any of it.
“There’s this super focus on goals, goals, goals, because Messi or Ronaldo do it. What about [Zinedine] Zidane before? Or Ronaldinho?,” the Belgian asked media at his post-match press conference in Mainz of players considered among the best of the modern era who weren’t necessarily the most prolific.
“So many great players who – and I played against them – completely turned the game around without all the goals. I don’t want us to suddenly start judging his quality or performances just by goals.
“I think that’s a problem from modern football. Ronaldinho, Zidane, those players were decisive in their generations. All this focus on always scoring goals, goals, goals. There were incredible players in the past, and he can be one of them, even if he doesn’t score 1,000 goals.”
Comments from the Belgian boss that served to both protect Musiala from excessive scrutiny but also highlighted the level that many believe he can reach.
By means of comparison with the pair of Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League-winning legends, Musiala’s now 50 competitive goals for Bayern have come on average every 198 minutes. Over their club careers, Frenchman Zidane struck at one every 440; Brazil’s Ronaldinho every 218.
But it’s about far more than scoring goals with all three.
“I don’t think we should just measure Jamal by his goals. I know it’s no fun playing against Jamal,” Kompany added.
Watch: The best of Musiala in the Bundesliga
Although never going to turn down more goals from his young Germany international, the former defender rubbished the need for a “poacher” Musiala.
“He has a big influence on the flow of the game. He needs to do his own thing,” the 38-year-old insisted.
Ronaldinho exemplified o jogo bonito. Zidane brought us le beau jeu. Will Musiala be the one to spread das schöne Spiel around the world? Whatever you call the beautiful game, the Bayern man being allowed to do his own thing under Kompany is exactly what we want to see.