Jamal Musiala says that he's "close friends" with Jude Bellingham – despite him being one of his biggest rivals on both the domestic and international stage
(Image credit: Ralf Treese/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Jamal Musiala has told FourFourTwo exclusively that he's “close” to Jude Bellingham – despite his fellow wonderkid being a rival.
Musiala was in the England youth set-up with Bellingham before choosing to switch international allegiance to play for the country of his birth, Germany. The pair played together for the Three Lions – and have since gone on to become the Bundesliga's biggest stars.
While 19-year-old Bellingham was plucked from Birmingham City's first team by Borussia Dortmund in 2020, 20-year-old Musiala joined Bayern Munich from Chelsea's academy the year before. Both players have established themselves as wonderkids in the intervening years and both are considered two of the most exciting starlets in world football.
With the pair of them lighting up the German top tier – and facing each other on the international stage, as rivals of England and Germany – you may think there could be a dislike of one another, similar to the way that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's rivalry was hyped by the media at one stage. But on the contrary, Musiala now tells FFT exclusively that there's nothing but affection for his fellow midfielder.
“Jude and I got on really well immediately,” says Musiala. “We had loads of laughs together on the England trips.
Musiala and Bellingham faced one another in the Nations League last year (Image credit: Pat Scaasi/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“We loved playing table tennis, and watching TV shows and movies together. We were just two lads, dreaming of becoming footballers.”
Surely though, there must be an element of competitive conflict between the pair?
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“Jude and I are close friends and always will be,” says Musiala. “But we’re rivals, too. We say a quick hello before the game – a nod in the tunnel – but then it’s down to business. He wants to win. I want to win. Everything else goes out of the window for 90 minutes.”
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
