“Shall I be honest?” Jamal Musiala says, with a shy laugh. “I’m the best player here.”

The lighthearted inquiry from the press conference floor is about the Germany squad members’ basketball skills, not their core competency. But in both substance and style, the 19-year-old might just as well have answered a query about his position in the footballing hierarchy.

Hansi Flick’s Nationalmannschaft boasts battle-hardened centre-backs Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule, midfield maestros Ilkay Gundogan, Johsua Kimmich), tricky forwards Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and the ethereal Kai Havertz but no one plays football quite like Musiala.

“Magic” is the word people most often use to describe the Bayern Munich No 10’s game back home because they can barely believe the way he misdirects opponents, dreams up passes that slice through defensive lines and conjures up bouquets of beauty in the tightest of spaces.

Lothar Matthaus, the 1990 World Cup winner, recently called the Stuttgart-born son of a Nigerian father and German mother “Messi-like” in his performances. Hyperbole? Yes of course. Yet everyone more or less nodded along in agreement because all the other superlatives have been used up already.

Only Musiala himself cautions restraint. “It’s an honour to be compared to Messi, but I find that difficult,’” he says, a little embarrassed by the suggestion. “He’s been performing at the top level for his entire life.”

A little later, we meet in a room that overlooks the fortress-like Al Shamal stadium that Germany have picked as their base in Qatar, an hour outside Doha at the northern-most tip of the peninsula.

Speaking in English rather than German, Musiala is much more comfortable off the podium but it’s immediately obvious why they call him “Bambi” in the Bayern dressing room. There’s the lanky legs but even more so, this sense of innocence about him: a prodigy so focused on getting better, he barely realises how good he already is.

Jamal Musiala of Germany reacts after a missed chance during the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Group E match between Germany and Japan at Khalifa International Stadium on 23 November 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo: Stuart Franklin / Getty Images)

Critical

“I’m very critical of my own performances,” he tells The Athletic. “That’s always been a part of me. Maybe I’m too hard on myself. But I feel that’s kept me humble and wanting to push for more.”

Musiala adds that he’s put out when critics praise him, perhaps for scoring a goal (27 for Bayern, one for Germany) or for an assist (17 for Bayern, one for Germany), after a game he hasn’t played particularly well in by his own estimation.

“It does get annoying. Because I know I could have done better, played better in this or that situation. But you take both into consideration and then just see what you can do in the next game.”

A good three years on from joining Bayern from Chelsea’s academy as a 16-year-old — a steal that will surely be turned into a heist movie one day, with a bearded Oscar Isaac in the role of sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic — Musiala has become one of, if not the key player for the German serial champions, the man they look for to open up massed defences with one of his customary dribbles or precise through balls.

He can play in a deeper role, pulling the strings in midfield, but it would be a huge surprise if Flick, who handed him his first team debut during his successful 18-month spell in Munich, didn’t entrust him with his usual attacking role at this tournament.

Musiala, as you would expect, wears the responsibility of being the nation’s designated locksmith lightly. “I try not to think about all that stuff too much, I just try to have fun and be a free as possible, treat it like any other game.”

Is that possible though, for the debut match at the World Cup? “Sometimes, all the talk around it may get you a bit nervous. But I keep the same routine for every game. Once you’re on the pitch, everything else goes away. You’re in the flow again. And it all comes easy.”

Brain train

His usual preparation involves a long afternoon nap for evening games but there is also more exacting work being done behind the scenes. As much as Musiala’s individualistic game looks like a throwback to a different era, he is also the consummate modern professional, employing a small army of experts to fortify his body and mind.

Among them is a “neuroathletics” specialist who combines brain training with fitness and movement. “It’s just little stuff that can make the difference like coordination, ensuring that your eyes lock on properly on the ball, turning quickly, making little pains go away with better balance and so on,” he explains. “It’s helped me a lot over the last couple of years. There’s a big difference in my posture, for example.”

Video analysis had shown that he often used to slump down during sprints, losing acceleration in the process. “I’m not the biggest guy (in terms of muscle) which is why stability is important for me,” he says.

A growth spurt caused knee and hip problems a few years ago, but he always had those really long legs and the ability to control the ball better than anyone around him.

“People would say I keep getting lucky, I’d always get the ball somehow,” he laughs. “From a young age, I got more and more comfortable going into one-on-one situations and dribbling past players. Over time, it’s gotten easier. At that point, you have to have that confidence to beat anyone.”

That last bit is important. Musiala believes it’s not for a want of raw talent that dribbling has almost become a lost art form in the modern game. “There are lot of players with the quality to go one-on-one but something is holding them back. Maybe it’s tactical, maybe their youth coaches told them not to dribble as much when they were younger.”

Musiala, by contrast, was encouraged to take on players during his academy days in London, where his family lived for nine years before returning to Germany in 2019. “They pushed me to do it and I was able to make it a big part of my game,” he says.

He says he doesn’t watch “a crazy amount of football” beyond looking back at his own actions but homework does include studying the old masters. “The way Messi plays with defenders, you never know what he’s going to do next. He will wait for you to make the first move, then go the other way. Same with Neymar. They have this calmness on the ball. It’s like they’re never in rush. Many players have mastered that but I feel I can still improve that side.”

Experience helps, clearly. “With the amount of games you have, situations start repeating. You’ll know what to do before things happen, so everything flows a bit more naturally.”

There’s probably a good word for someone who sees things before they will happen, but it feels unnecessary to spell it out here. As the world is about to find out, Musiala’s game doesn’t need adorning letters or numbers. It shouts loudly enough, all by itself.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.