A German player, considered from the beginning to be one of the stars hosting this summer’s European Championship, put in a sinister performance on Friday night in the 5-1 thrashing of Scotland.
Germany only needed 10 minutes to take the lead after Florian Wirtz’s first goal, before going 3-0 up and a man up at half-time thanks to Jamal Musiala’s powerful shot and Kai Havertz’s penalty.
The hosts added another after the break through Borussia Dortmund’s Niclas Fullkrug, before an own goal from Antonio Rudiger and a goal from Emre Can saw the match end 5-1 for Julian Nagelsmann’s side.
It was a match in which many German stars flourished, with Toni Kroos in particular putting in an exceptional performance in what will be his last football competition.
However, ITV pundits Ian Wright and Graeme Souness were quick to highlight one German striker in particular after a performance that will make the rest of the competition’s big hitters take notice.
One of the stars of Germany’s 5-1 thrashing received high praise from ITV pundits.
Ian Wright compared the striker to Ballon d’Or-winning Brazilian legend Kaka on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Graeme Souness claimed the 21-year-old was like a “slalom skier” with the way he moved.
“There’s a resemblance to Kaka in how upright he is,” began Wright, who was clearly more than impressed by what he saw on Friday night from Musiala.
‘Her feet are incredible for their size. Once she gets it, he simply attacks the space with tight control of it.’
And Wright was not alone in his effusive praise for the 21-year-old’s performance, after outrunning defenders throughout the game in a mesmerizing performance.
‘His balance is incredible. He stops and starts; it looks like it’s moving (again) before stopping.’ Souness added.
‘He has a special talent. He’s like a slalom skier and he’s only 21 years old. You’d pay to see it.’
England fans will also have cursed their luck on Friday night, as Musiala of course chose to play for Germany rather than the Three Lions in 2021.
Born in Stuttgart to a German mother and British-Nigerian father, Musiala lived in Germany until she was 7, before moving to south-west London.
He then grew up in the English capital until he left Chelsea for Germany and Bayern Munich at the age of 16, making him eligible for both nations.
Jamal Musiala left players in his wake all night with his skill in movement and agility in attack.
The player collected the Man of the Match gong after an impressive performance on Friday
The Bayern Munich star decisively scored the second goal and Germany took the lead.
However, before the postponed Euro 2020, Musiala pledged allegiance to Germany, having represented both countries at youth level, and he can hardly be faulted for the way he has prospered since then.
Friday night was just the latest in a series of impressive performances, and saw him score his third goal for the Mannschaft in 30 games at just 21 years old.
The Bayern Munich star was clapped off the field in a match in which he was named Man of the Match and admitted afterwards: “I had the best feeling ever, we wanted to start well and I’m happy to have scored so many goals.” “Now we can face the next games with a lot of confidence.”
He added: “I think winning comfortably was a good sign and we can carry that confidence into the next game.” Personally, I’m pretty happy, but there are still things we can do better.
“We’re not going to let it get too much to our heads and we’re going to approach the next game with the same mentality.”