At 19 years and 270 days, Jamal Musiala is the youngest player to represent Germany at a World Cup since Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (19 years, 72 days) in 1958, as per Opta.
Musiala starts in a trio alongside Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry behind Kai Havertz in Germany’s World Cup opener against Japan. It’s the first time Die Mannschaft have played against the Samurai Blue in a competitive environment.
The Bayern Munich attacking-midfielder arrives at the World Cup in excellent form. Musiala has scored 12 and created 11 in 22 games across all competitions for the Rekordmeister this season.
Leading up to the tournament, Lothar Matthäus compared Musiala to Lionel Messi but the 19-year-old remained grounded and focused on what he can achieve himself.
Germany start their World Cup against Japan before facing Spain and Costa Rica in Group E. A win this afternoon would give Die Mannschaft an excellent opportunity of qualifying for the Round of 16, something they failed to do so four years ago in Russia.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
