Bayern Munich were thrilled to have Jamal Musiala finally back from an injury which significantly weakened the German giants at the end of last campaign.
Unfortunately, they now face an even longer spell without their young superstar.
The 22-year-old appeared to suffer a horrible injury just before halftime of Bayern Munich's match against Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
The Sporting News details what happened and what we know about a cruel setback that could leave the youngster sidelined for a significant length of time.
What happened to Jamal Musiala vs. PSG?
Jamal Musiala suffered what appeared to be a horrible injury in the first-half stoppage time of Bayern Munich's match against PSG from the Club World Cup quarterfinals in Atlanta.
The Bayern Munich star had earned his first start since suffering a muscle injury in early April, which ended his 2024/25 season early.
Musiala saw the ball roll away from him in the PSG penalty area, shielded out by William Pacho, but attempted to round Pacho and try to retrieve it before it rolled out of play over the end line. To prevent this, Gianluigi Donnarumma came off his line and stretched to make a challenge, catching Musiala's feet under his outstretched arms.
It appeared that Musiala's left ankle got stuck and twisted hard. Immediately, Musiala was in significant pain, and seemed to have suffered a significant injury to his lower leg
The reaction of the players on both sides said all we needed to know. Bayern Munich players were clearly emotional and showed both frustration and horror, while Donnarumma was visibly shaken.
😰🤯 The reaction of Bayern's players to Jamal Musiala's injury. pic.twitter.com/ZoGcr4v261
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) July 5, 2025
Understanding a significant stoppage was to ensue, referee Anthony Taylor brought the half to an end and sent the players to the locker room. Eventually, Musiala left the field on a stretcher with his shirt pulled over his face.
Donnarumma’s reaction to Musiala’s injury…
— Bayern & Football (@MunichFanpage) July 5, 2025
pic.twitter.com/XD60si524r
How long will Jamal Musiala be out injured?
Bayern Munich confirmed on Monday, July 7 that Jamal Musiala had suffered a "fractured fibula as a result of a broken and dislocated ankle."
The club's release stated that Musiala had "successful surgery" once they had returned to Germany from the tournament, and that Musiala will be "unavailable...for the next few months."
While that is somewhat vague, the early word is that Musiala will be out for 4-5 months to recover. According to Fabrizio Romano, the 22-year-old suffered a broken fibula and has several damaged ligaments as well. While broken bones can often be timed quite well in their healing process, the recovery timeline could extend longer depending on how the ligaments progress.
After the match, Vincent Kompany was furious about the injury. "I’ve rarely been so angry at halftime, not against my players," Kompany told reporters after the match. “I know there are many things in life much more important than this, but for these guys it’s their life. Someone like Jamal lives for this. He just came back from a setback and then it happens in the way it happens. You feel powerless.
"Sat here now, the thing that gets my blood still boiling at the moment is not the result, I understand this is football. It’s the fact it happened to someone that one, enjoys the game so much, but is also very important for us."
The blow is massive for Bayern Munich. The Bavarian side was significantly weakened in Musiala's absence at the end of last year as they bowed out of the UEFA Champions League in the quarterfinals at the hands of Inter Milan.
Musiala's presence was likely the reason that Bayern ultimately decided not to push harder in their pursuit of his Germany teammate Florian Wirtz, who moved to Liverpool for €137.5million.