Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala was always a special talent with many special qualities, but the most defining of those qualities was his dribbling. Even before he became a teenager, his dribbling and signature movement was eye-catching. Was he just born with the kind of dribbling talent people would die for? Not quite…
“I practiced it as a kid. My father would put the cones out for me in the garden or in the park and I would have to dribble around them, over and over again,” Musiala stated, via @iMiaSanMia. “It sounds boring, but I enjoyed it. And I noticed how it helped my game because I felt comfortable dribbling.”
Of course, learning tips and tricks from professionals always helps and Musiala had two he really kept an eye on at all times: “Lionel Messi and Neymar. I don’t dribble like Neymar, but I liked his confidence. With Messi it’s more natural, he hardly needs stepovers. Those were the two I used to watch the most videos of.”
Does he still enjoy watching others dribble? “I can’t think of anyone right now. But I also watch less football than I used to.”
But perhaps there are not the clear standout dribblers in the game, either. Messi and Neymar are still far from retirement at the moment and remain top class footballers, but the former FC Barcelona duo are clearly also in the twilight of their careers and far from a Top 5 league at the moment. There is an opening for another talented, iconic dribbling superstar to become the idol so many football fans look up to. Who knows? Perhaps Musiala could fill that void someday.
