Vincent Kompany names 2 players who are more similar to Jamal Musiala than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has named two retired footballers who are more akin to Jamal Musiala than Al-Nassr attacker Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi.
Musiala, 21, has cemented himself as one of the best midfielders of his generation due to his meteoric rise to fame at Bayern. The German, who mainly operates in a number 10 role, has guided the Bavarians to 10 trophies, including four Bundesliga titles, so far.
The former Chelsea youth star, who was the joint top goalscorer at the UEFA Euro 2024 with three strikes, has opened the 2024-25 season on a stellar note. He has scored seven goals and laid out four assists in 11 outings in all competitions under new boss Kompany.
After Musiala's hat-trick in Bayern's recent 4-0 DFB-Pokal victory over FSV Mainz, Kompany shared his thoughts on his expectations from the star. He remarked (h/t bundesliga.com):
"There's this super focus on goals, goals, goals, because Messi or Ronaldo do it. What about [Zinedine] Zidane before? Or Ronaldinho? So many great players who, and I played against them, completely turned the game around without all the goals. I don't want us to suddenly start judging his quality or performances just by goals."
Kompany, who played against both France legend Zinedine Zidane and Brazil icon Ronaldinho during his illustrious playing career, continued:
"I think that's a problem from modern football. Ronaldinho, Zidane, those players were decisive in their generations. All this focus on always scoring goals, goals, goals. There were incredible players in the past, and he can be one of them, even if he doesn't score 1,000 goals."
Musiala is next likely to be in action for Bayern in their Bundesliga contest against Union Berlin at Allianz Arena on Saturday (November 2).
Ex-Liverpool striker reveals drawing inspiration from both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
During a recent interaction with BBC Sport, ex-Liverpool striker and DC United star Christian Benteke hailed both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's excellent work ethic. He said:
"Messi and Ronaldo are four or five years older than me and they still play, so who are we not to push ourselves?. It's not luck. It's hard work. They look after their bodies, which is something we can all do. We might not have their qualities or everything they have but as a high-elite athlete, we can all look after our bodies."
Benteke, who will turn 34 later this December, beat Messi in the race for the Major League Soccer Golden Boot award with 23 strikes this year.
Apart from Liverpool, he also played for Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.