Uli Hoeneß’s comments about Jamal Musiala’s health certainly caused a ruckus online, but Lothar Matthäus believes there was a method behind the honorary Bayern Munich president’s words.
Buckle up for this one.
Rather than simply expressing concern about the 23-year-old’s horrible luck with injuries and ailments, Matthäus thinks Hoeneß was deliberately trying to get under Musiala’s skin and motivate him to return to his best.
Speaking on Sky90 (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), the former Bayern Munich captain
defended Hoeneß’s approach, arguing that young players sometimes need a little adversity rather than constant protection. Matthäus also expressed frustration with Musiala’s prolonged absence and the limited football he has played since the major injury he sustained at the Club World Cup in 2025.
“Uli is taking a little dig at him and trying to get under his skin a bit. It’s part of the process not just to wrap him in cotton wool, but also to let him face a bit of adversity. I thought it was okay for Uli to say that, because we shouldn’t always sugarcoat everything and just wait until he’s back. Jamal hasn’t really been back since the Club World Cup; he’s been out for 17 months, and played 3-4 games in between. He’s been out for seven weeks now because of a muscle strain, so you can’t just call that a strain anymore. Something else must have happened,” Matthäus said. “With that statement, Uli was deliberately trying to provoke a reaction. If I were in Jamal’s position, that would be motivation enough for me to show Uli that I’m back. And that would make Uli happy.”
It is certainly an interesting interpretation of Hoeneß’s comments—and probably not one that many fans will agree with. Whether the public criticism actually motivates Musiala remains to be seen, but Matthäus believes the message was intentional—Bayern Munich wants its superstar back, and it wants him to show everyone what he is capable of doing again.
Of course, motivation can only go so far when health is involved. Musiala has been dealing with the lingering effects from the leg injury he suffered at the Club World Cup, an ankle injury he sustained last season, and muscular issues he has battled this season, along with the neurological absences he fought in August.
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