Bayern Munich Start Season Without Musiala Amid Health Concerns
Bayern Munich step into a new campaign on Saturday under the lights, with a familiar rival standing in the way and one glaring absence in their attack.
The German giants face Borussia Dortmund in the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup, the traditional curtain-raiser to the domestic season and a rebranded version of the old DFL Super Cup. It is the kind of stage Jamal Musiala usually relishes. This time, he will be watching.
Musiala sidelined after worrying collapses
Vincent Kompany goes into his first competitive game in charge with a strong squad, but Bayern have decided not to take any risks with Musiala after a troubling pre-season spell.
The 23-year-old collapsed twice in four days, in friendlies against RB Leipzig and Heidenheim. The scenes alarmed supporters, even if Musiala quickly moved to clarify the situation himself.
On social media, the Germany international explained that a minor neurological issue was behind the collapses. He stressed it would not endanger his career or stop him playing for Bayern. The club, though, has chosen caution over sentiment for the Super Cup.
Musiala will sit out the clash with Dortmund to avoid overloading him so soon after those incidents. The decision is precautionary, not punitive, and very much in line with the medical advice around his condition.
Bayern calm and confident over Bundesliga return
Inside Säbener Straße, there is no sense of panic. If anything, there is quiet assurance.
Bayern remain optimistic that Musiala will be ready for the Bundesliga opener against VfB Stuttgart next Friday. He trained individually at the club’s headquarters, working under the close eye of both medical and coaching staff as he builds back toward full involvement.
At the pre-match press conference on Friday, sporting director Max Eberl and head coach Kompany shed more light on the situation. Bayern have known about Musiala’s neurological condition for over a year. It is not new to them, nor to the dressing room.
The recent problems, they explained, stem from side effects linked to a change in medication. The plan now is straightforward: Musiala is expected to return to the previous medication regime, the one that had caused no issues and allowed him to perform at the highest level.
The message from the club is clear. They are firmly behind him, expect him to stay healthy, and believe he can still deliver a standout season.
Inside the dressing room: support, not shock
Within the squad, Musiala’s situation is neither taboo nor drama. It is understood.
Team-mates have publicly rallied around him in recent days, but the support is not new. They have been aware of his condition for some time, long before it became a talking point outside the club.
For Bayern, this is not a distraction. It is a reality they have already integrated into their planning. The focus is on managing his workload, not questioning his future.
A year to reclaim
Musiala enters this season with something to prove, mostly to himself.
The last 12 months have been brutal. A serious injury against PSG in the Club World Cup last summer ruled him out for more than seven months. That kind of layoff steals sharpness, rhythm, and confidence, no matter how gifted the player.
When he finally returned, he needed time to rediscover his timing, his touch, his instinctive bursts between the lines. Bayern’s hierarchy and supporters have been waiting for the version of Musiala that can tilt a title race on his own.
They still believe that player is there. They still expect him to re-emerge.
Kompany’s options for Dortmund
For now, Kompany must plot a way past Dortmund without one of his most creative weapons.
Musiala is not the only absentee. Lennart Karl and Serge Gnabry will also miss Saturday’s game as they continue their recoveries from injury, trimming Bayern’s attacking depth for the season’s first test.
Even so, Bayern travel into the Super Cup with a formidable squad and a clear objective: set the tone, land an early psychological blow on their great rivals, and show that the turbulence of recent seasons is being replaced by control.
Musiala will not be on the pitch to help shape that statement. The real question is how ready he will be, physically and mentally, when the Bundesliga starts for real against Stuttgart — and whether this season becomes the one where his immense promise finally runs uninterrupted.
