Nagelsmann Backs Musiala And Wirtz For Future Ballon D'Or Wins

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Germany's Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz are potential Ballon d'Or contenders, according to Julian Nagelsmann. Musiala scored once and provided three assists in Germany's 5-0 win over Hungary in the Nations League on Saturday. One of his assists set up Wirtz for Germany's third goal, after Wirtz had assisted Musiala for the second goal in Dusseldorf.

Musiala created seven chances during the match, while Wirtz contributed two key passes. Germany generated an expected goals (xG) value of 3.7 compared to Hungary's 1.1. Nagelsmann told ZDF, "When both are in the mood and really put their foot down, it's difficult for the opposition, they're exceptionally good." He added, "These are two footballers—when they link up with each other, it's very, very good to watch."

At 21 years and 194 days old, Musiala became the youngest player to achieve four direct goal involvements in a single UEFA Nations League game. OptaFranz highlighted this achievement on Twitter:

Nagelsmann praised Musiala's development over the past year, especially his presence in the box. "During Euro 2024 it was very good; today it was phenomenal," he told Sky Sport. He believes both Musiala and Wirtz have the potential to win the Ballon d'Or.

Niclas Fullkrug opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark. West Ham forward Fullkrug commented on Musiala's performance: "It is fun to watch that today. Jamal was in really good form. It is great to have him in the squad." He added that Germany made many deep runs and controlled the game even without possession.

The combination of Musiala and Wirtz has proven effective for Germany, showcasing their exceptional skills and teamwork on the field.