Everyone is talking about these two super talents right now: 17-year-old Jamal Musiala and 16-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko are preparing to shape the Bundesliga one day. We would like to compare the similarities and differences between the two offensive players more closely.
Even at a young age, Jamal Musiala and Youssoufa Moukoko can look back on an exciting career path. The latter was born in Cameroon and moved to Hamburg at the age of ten. There he joined FC St. Pauli and obtained German citizenship. In 2016 he finally found his way to Borussia Dortmund. It quickly became apparent that Moukoko was physically better than his colleagues of the same age and therefore mostly played in older junior classes. Nevertheless, the Cameroon-born was unstoppable in the penalty room and set one goal record after the next. Accordingly, the storm talent celebrated his Bundesliga debut at the age of 16 and one day.
Jamal Musiala’s youth was not quite as noticeable. The Bayern youngster was born in Stuttgart and played at TSV Lehnerz until he was seven. After his parents moved to England, he first joined Southampton FC. But just a few months later, Chelsea discovered the gifted talent. There he was trained until he moved to Bayern in 2019. In Munich he found his way into the professional team via the second team. In contrast to Moukoko, whose career has been covered by the media for a long time, Musiala was mostly very calm.
What role do the youngsters play in their teams?
Moukoko has only had the DFL’s official license to play for three weeks. During this time he has played four games and 104 minutes of play. Since top scorer Erling Haarland is currently injured, the 16-year-old is currently the only center forward in the BVB squad. Although he has not yet scored for the first team, he could indicate his danger. In the near future, Moukoko will probably not get beyond the role of back-up. So the Dortmunders want to carefully build their jewel. In the long term, however, one expects a lot from the youngster. “I’ve never coached a 16-year-old who is that far,” said BVB coach Favre. Haaland went even further recently and called Moukoko the greatest talent in the world.
Musiala, who is a year older than him, has more experience at the highest level. He has already played 13 games for Munich and scored three goals. A great advantage recently proved to be its flexibility. So he used the injury problems in central midfield and showed that he can shine in a more defensive role. For example, he was allowed to play against Leipzig, even though Marc Roca would have been predestined for this role. Although Musiala is not yet a regular player either, he is currently receiving many appearances and regular praise from those in charge. “Jamal plays freely. At the beginning we didn’t have that much control of the ball, but when he came on, that changed, ”said Flick after the Leipzig game.
These are the strengths and weaknesses of the super talents
Moukoko is a typical center forward with talents that have not existed in Germany for a long time. The 16-year-old is characterized above all by his goal danger. He uses his great goal instinct paired with his secure finish. He is also extremely athletic and quick for his age. In the Bundesliga, for example, it was measured at a speed of 34.7 km / h. However, there is still some catching up to do in terms of ball control. In contrast, this is exactly the strength of Jamal Musiala. Hardly any player is able to control the ball so close to his foot. In addition to his strength in dribbling, he has an enormous joy in playing and a lot of pull towards goal. His graduation can also be seen, as he impressively demonstrated with his goal against Leipzig. Even at a young age, the youngster demands a lot of balls, can handle them safely and put his teammates in the limelight. On the other hand, he still has room for improvement in the physical area.
The jewels are already worth that much today
The fact that Musiala and Moukoko are among the greatest talents in Europe also becomes clear when looking at the market values. Tranfermarkt.de assigns the youngsters a value of 10 million euros each. While Moukoko is clearly at the top of his year, Musiala only has to rank behind Bellingham and Wirtz and Ryan Cherki (Lyon). In terms of salary, the Dortmund ranks with 350,000 per year in front of the Munich. According to image information, however, both have no professional contract. However, this could change soon. Both teams have big plans for their jewels. While the Musiala contract expires in 2022, Moukoko will be tied to Borussia for another year. By then at the latest, salaries will presumably skyrocket.
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