Jamal Musiala was England's most promising young prospect just a few months back. But now, he could be up against them at Wembley on Monday night.He made his England U21 debut in November and scored his first goal four days later. Gareth Southgate, England manager, and the Football Association collectively breathed a collective sigh relief as they felt that they had convinced the then-17-year-old, who was already Bayern Munich's youngest ever Bundesliga player, to choose England over his country of birth.Musiala, who had been playing for England during their youth level, had already played one year in Chelsea's academy. His two games in Germany were as an U16 player in 2018. By the time he was a England U21, the German FA had given up."He has clearly indicated to us that he sees his future in the English national teams," Meikel Schonweitz, their head of academy coaching, said shortly after their debut appearance. They were frustrated that one of Europe's most promising talents had apparently slipped through their hands.Image: Musiala appeared twice for England's Under-21s. He scored one goal before switching allegiances.Six months later, Musiala (18 in February) may be facing England at Wembley. This is due to his significant role in the goal that saved Germany from an embarrassing Euro 2020 group stage exit.This would be another step on the ladder for Southgate's meteoric rise, but Southgate cannot help but wish it was happening under his watch. The England manager and the FA may both live to regret their defeat.Musiala, who had been with Chelsea for a year before his debut in England's U21s team, left the academy to join Bayern Munich in the summer 2019. However, not before Joachim Low, Germany manager, contacted him to tell him about his path through youth football to the German national soccer team.Andrew Martin, the head of Croydon secondary football school Whitgift, which Musiala attended was a mentor to the talented young player. He told Sky Sports that Low's decision for a similar relationship played an important role in his fate.He said, "I believe that was a huge sway." England may have missed a trick by not convincing him to stay or to create a path for themselves.4:23 Sky Sports News' Jess Creighton reports on the latest from England as Gareth Southgate's team prepares for the last-16 match against Germany at WembleyThey saw him growing, no matter how long it took, and whether that was six months, twelve months or two years. Bayern wanted him. But, one of the most powerful nations in world football already knew where they wanted him to go in the future.Jamal had offers from England, Germany and he was still U15 when he joined us. He preferred England at that time."He knew the boys from England, even though they were not from Arsenal or Manchester City. They played against each other often and shared a mutual respect. When he was in Germany, he didn't feel the same way about the players and staff.He moved to Germany when he was 16, and he played for a year in the German academy system. Now he plays in the first team.It is not surprising that Musiala's talent is well-known to everyone, from Martin to Low the Germany manager as well as the England setup. Musiala's ability to keep his head high and still be young has enabled him to compete against world-class professionals. He even bailed out some of them against Hungary in the same month that he was supposed to graduate from sixth form.With that in mind, it is why, in such a crunch match, which has more personal significance to the teenager than any other team-mates, there would equally few eyebrows raised if Low trusted him with a starting spot at Wembley.Martin said that it was crazy. He would have left sixth form this week if he had stayed with us. This was in the lead-up to Tuesday's match. His mates are finishing their last day of school, so he's helping to set up the Germany equaliser in order to save them from the tournament.After the Hungary game, I messaged him, telling him that England had to win. He replied, "I'll try my best sir." This just shows his character. He is a German-American international, and he still calls me sir. He could call me whatever he wants and I wouldn’t mind. His football is a testimony to his character. He's an exceptional young man."His mind is so logical, he will forget about the sentiment. It will be just another game. It's a big game that he wants to win for his nation, but I doubt he will view it as playing England, where they grew up. There will be an affiliation. You can't live eight years in one place and not develop some affiliation."There will be emotion, but with his character, that'll be in the back of his head."The view from Germany is amazingUli Kohler, Sky Germany reporter, previewed Tuesday's game on Sky Sports. He was full of praises for Musiala who has been in the news in Germany for his breakthrough season at Bayern. In that time, he scored six goals in just 870 minutes of Bundesliga football.He said, "He's amazing. Lothar Matthaus believes he should be in the starting lineup against England. I'm not so sure. It's too much pressure for his young shoulders. This is the game between England and Germany. It might seem a little too much for an 18 year old, but you could see his potential when he stepped off the bench.He was a great player and had fun. In five minutes, he had two amazing moments. That's more than any of the German attackers! If the game is close, I believe he will be a formidable weapon."I recall a story about a man who was driven to training by his mother in an Opel Corsa on his birthday... all the other players had Ferraris!" He now plays for the national team in the Euros at Wembley. It's an amazing story!
