England will be hoping they won’t be reminded of what could have been as Jamal Musiala gets set to star at Euro 2024 this summer.
The Bayern Munich sensation is Germany‘s brightest prospect to lead them to tournament glory on home turf.
However, if things had been different, the 21-year-old could have been spearheading England’s hopes of ending their trophy drought.
Musiala registered 10 goals and six assists in 24 Bundesliga appearances this term playing behind Harry Kane.
Sadly for the Three Lions, it won’t ever be a link-up fans can see at international level as well.
Could Musiala have played for England?
Yes, Musiala represented England from Under-15 level, all the way through to the Under-21s, and could have been capped at senior level.
Born in Stuttgart, the attacking midfielder’s mother is a German native whilst his father is British-Nigerian.
He moved to England at the age of seven and joined Chelsea‘s academy before playing in the Three Lions’ youth ranks.
His only two games for Germany came as an Under-16 in 2018 and the German FA seemed ready to concede defeat.
“He has clearly signalled to us that he currently sees his future with the English national teams,” their head of academy coaching Meikel Schonweitz said shortly after Musiala’s debut for England Under-21s.
Musiala spent eight years with Chelsea before finally deciding to move back to the country of his birth and play for Bayern.
In February 2021, he became the youngest-ever Englishman to score in the Champions League when he netted against Lazio.
However, by the following morning, this stat was amended to make him the youngest German to score in UEFA’s elite competition.
“I have a heart for Germany and a heart for England, both hearts will continue to beat – I’ve thought a lot about this question,” Musiala told German sports programme Sportschau.
“In the end, I listened to my feelings saying it’s the right decision to play for Germany. But it wasn’t an easy decision for me.
“I had a very good and honest discussion with [former Germany head coach] Joachim Low. He showed me a clear route into the national team. Mr Low had clearly worked out and analysed my strengths and weaknesses. He also sees my future in my strongest position of attacking midfield and appreciates my qualities there.”
It is understood Bayern colleagues Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry were repeatedly pestering the starlet to represent Germany.
Three years later, Musiala linked up with England captain Kane at Bayern, with the latter joking he could have convinced him to stay under Gareth Southgate had he met him earlier.
Kane told ITV: “I joke a bit with Jamal Musiala about him choosing Germany over England. Obviously, he could have played for England.
“But maybe if I were here a few years ago, I could’ve put my arm around his shoulder and got him for us. But Jamal is a great player.”