Jamal Musiala has pledged his international future to Germany instead of England in the wake of his record-breaking evening with Bayern Munich.
At the age of 17 years and 363 days, Musiala became the youngest English goalscorer in Champions League history and Bayern’s youngest goalscorer in the competition in the 4-1 thrashing of Lazio on Tuesday night.
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Musiala doubled the reigning Champions League holders’ advantage with a well-taken strike as Leroy Sane added a third either side of Robert Lewandowski’s opener and an own goal from Francesco Acerbi to help announce the teen on a global scale.
Originally born in Stuttgart to a German mother and British-Nigerian father, Musiala moved to England at the age of seven when his mother began her degree in sociology at the University of Southampton.
Having spent time with regional side Central City, Chelsea soon came calling for the attacking midfielder and he moved to London to study at Whitgift School during his eight years with the Blues, before returning to Germany two years ago to play for Bayern.
The teenager represented the Three Lions at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-21 levels, but he has decided to represent Germany at senior international level.
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Getty Images - Getty
“England is home for me,” he told The Athletic. “It is difficult to find words for what England means for me because I have so many memories connected to very positive emotions.”
“I have a heart for Germany and a heart for England. Both hearts will keep on beating.”
“I’ve thought about this question a lot,” he added. “What is best for my future? Where do I have more chances to play?
“In the end, I just listened to the feeling that over a long period of time kept telling me that it was the right decision to play for Germany, the land I was born in. Still, it wasn’t an easy decision for me.”
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It is understood club colleagues Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry were repeatedly pestering the starlet to represent Germany during training, while national team manager Joachim Low spoke with the player in person last month.
Low personally assured Musiala there would be opportunities for him to break into the senior side in his preferred attacking midfield role.
Despite becoming world champions in 2014, there is a sense of negativity around the German national team after a disappointing autumn campaign and a group stage exit at the World Cup in Russia three years ago.
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