Hoeness says Musiala may never "regain the performance level he once had"

Uli Hoeness told Bavarian network BR24 on 9 November 2026 that Bayern Munich forward Jamal Musiala may never "regain the performance level he once had" after the 23-year-old collapsed twice during pre-season.

The Germany international has won 46 caps and scored two goals in four games for Bayern in all competitions this season; the collapses were later linked to a treatable "neurological dysfunction".

"We are facing a dilemma in this case, as he is suffering from an illness that cannot simply be cured, but it can be controlled to a certain extent with the use of medication," Hoeness said, and added that Bayern would support Musiala, who is under contract until 2030.

Former Bayern and Germany captain Lothar Matthaus told Sky90 that Hoeness was trying to motivate Musiala and offered three pointed comments: "He's needling him a little. It's not just about wrapping him in cotton wool. He also has to battle against adversity sometimes." He added: "Uli was looking to create that adversity with this statement." Matthaus concluded: "It's fine for him to say something like that, because we can't just put a positive spin on things and somehow wait for him to come back. If I were in Jamal Musiala's position, that would be motivation enough to show Uli I'm back."

Musiala joined Bayern in 2019 after coming through Chelsea's academy and has since scored 71 goals and provided 38 assists in 235 matches for the club following his breakthrough as a 17-year-old.

One of the youngest players in Germany's history, Musiala shared the Golden Boot as the joint leading scorer at Euro 2024.

He has not played for Bayern since suffering a hamstring injury in September but has recently returned to training.