Jamal Musiala Dropped A Masterclass Against England, He Was The Best Player On The Pitch

The Bayern Munich forward, who had played for England up until U21 level, was the best player on the pitch at the Allianz Arena.

Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Jonas Hofmann put Germany ahead shortly after the start of the second half before Harry Kane levelled late on for England from the penalty spot.

But it was Musiala who most caught the eye.

He looked composed on the ball throughout the match and came close to scoring the first half when his shot from the edge of the box was well saved by Pickford.

Musiala was substituted shortly after the hour mark and received a standing ovation from the home support as he left the pitch with the goalscorer Hofmann.

Journalists and fans on social media were equally as impressed with Musiala's performance.

"Musiala is something else isn't he. He's so fast and slippery. England can't lay a finger on him. So exciting to watch," wrote The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke on Twitter.

The Times' Henry Winter added: "Jamal Musiala best player on the pitch so far. Energy and incisive passing. And he's still only 19."

"A hint of Rivaldo with the way Musiala suddenly comes out of a tangle of bodies with the ball, never having lost control of it," added The Independent's Miguel Delaney.

Musiala was born in Germany to a British-Nigerian father and a German mother but moved to England at the age of seven.

He returned to Germany in 2019 after leaving Chelsea for Bayern Munich and would later declare his international allegiance to Die Mannschaft, making his senior debut against Iceland in 2021.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday's match in Munich, England boss Gareth Southgate admitted he would have loved to have kept Musiala.

"We'd have liked him to stay [with England] for certain," Southgate said.

"But when you're training at Bayern Munich every day and you're surrounded by Bayern Munich and German players, then that's a little bit more challenging and of course his family have those strong ties.

"We enjoyed working with him when he was in our junior teams. He was a really nice boy to work with. We knew he was going to be, and he is, a good player.

"So yes we would have liked him for sure but we've got lots of these situations now in England - I'm sure Germany have got the same - where players can play for a number of different countries and sometimes your heart is going to take you somewhere else. We have complete respect for that.

"It's nice to see him doing well, having met him first off when he was about 13 or 14. So I'm really pleased for him that that's working well. Tomorrow I don't care less, but generally I'm pleased to see him doing well."