Hope you have some popcorn ready, folks. Things are about to get GNARLY.
Bayern Munich and Germany legend Lothar Matthäus fired back at Oliver Kahn after the latter suggested in a recent interview on Sky’s “Triple – der Hagedorn Fußballtalk” that Jamal Musiala should consider withdrawing from Germany’s FIFA World Cup squad given the injuries he has sustained.
In the aftermath of FC Bayern’s dominant 5-0 victory over FC St. Pauli, Matthäus, in the postgame interview (as covered by Tz), didn’t mince
words, and went straight for the jugular: “I am convinced that—unlike Oliver Kahn— [Musiala] can be very important for Germany at the World Cup.”
Ouch. That must’ve stung.
He then doubled down and continued his rant. “Oliver was in charge at Bayern himself; he put himself in front of the team and every player. Now he’s in a different position and is telling a player two-and-a-half months before the World Cup that he should sit out the tournament.” Hard to argue against that, really.
Yes, Musiala has just returned from a devastating injury, but the player has been making excellent progress and was the MOTM against St. Pauli, registering a goal and an assist and silencing any doubts in the process. To suggest that the player should exclude himself from the national team just two months prior to the biggest tournament in international football is absurd. Perhaps Kahn meant well, but these tournaments are career-defining, and there is no reason Musiala shouldn’t be in the squad and make a massive impact for Germany in the WC.
Lothar then summarized it all: “Oliver Kahn hasn’t even missed a single training session. To me, that’s an incomprehensible statement—completely unnecessary.” Given that Kahn has competed whenever he has been available as a player throughout his decorated career, it is only right for Musiala to be given the opportunity to do the same, especially given how gifted and talented he is as a footballer and how he can run the entire offense with his skillset.
Musiala is definitely playing in the World Cup, whether Kahn wants him to or not.
And we probably haven’t seen the end of this beef either.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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