Jamal Musiala smiled as he opened the door of the performance centre at Säbener Straße. After a few steps, the youngster at last felt the grass under his feet again. "It was great for me to be back on the pitch. It felt fantastic," said the FC Bayern attacking midfielder. Training in the fresh air again was also something special. And the most important thing: "My foot felt good."
It's now been around three and a half months since Musiala suffered a dislocated ankle and a fractured fibula at the Club World Cup in the USA. Since then, he's been working hard every day in rehab, taking small steps towards his comeback day by day. Today, Thursday, the 22-year-old had his first running session on the training pitch at Säbener Straße, as well as some coordination exercises with fitness coach Simon Martinello. It was a milestone for Musiala: "That was a very big step."
Take the time needed
The Germany international also reflected on the healing process so far: "My first jump a few weeks ago, then my first run on the Alter-G, now on the pitch. I think you take a new step forward every week." He's now looking ahead to more milestones: It's now about "getting used to running again, building up speed. Then I'll start with the ball. Dribbling, passing, shooting." Even though the Bayern player already has his sights set on the next goals, he doesn't want to rush things.
"It's always one step at a time, you don't want to do anything too quickly. When I come back, I want to be at 100 per cent, at a good level. That's why we're taking our time," said Musiala. Friends and fans, along with his family, were the best people to help him get through the long wait to get back on the pitch. So it was no coincidence that his buddy Alphonso Davies, who himself is currently recovering from a cruciate ligament rupture, dropped in on Musiala's individual session on the training pitch.
"Phonzy supported me," revealed Musiala with a smile on his face. "The team, the fans - you can see we're all one big family. The support definitely helps," added the 22-year-old. "It gives us extra motivation that the fans miss Phonzy, me and all our injured players." Something like that helps every injured player to get everything out of their rehab day after day. Musiala still has a few steps to go - but it's not just the fans who can't wait to see our number 10 back on the pitch soon.
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