Bellingham and Jamal Musiala: From England U21 Friends to Potential Rivalry, a Parallel to the Messi and Ronaldo Dynamic

Jamal Musiala and Jude Bellingham were childhood buddies of the England U21 team, but they may later become rivals like Messi and Ronaldo.

Two exceptional international talents are JUDE BELLINGHAM and Jamal Musiala.

The questions that the entire football world is asking of them both during this tournament are: can they keep up this form and go on to become professional players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Jamal Musiala looked electric for Germany on Friday night

Jude Bellingham has been one of the best players in Europe this season

Jude Bellingham has been one of the best players in Europe this season

Even though Musiala is 21 and Bellingham is only 20, they are both that good, and their performances thus far at the Euros are beginning to support that.

Before the Under-21s, the two of them were buddies and played together with England’s age-group teams.

Fortunately for us Germans, however, Musiala—who was born in Germany but raised primarily in England—selected to perform for us.

Selecting someone like him is akin to striking it lucky in the lotto.

But remember that Bellingham is unique, so don’t be avaricious.

Bellingham and Musiala played together for England at youth level

Bellingham and Musiala played together for England at youth level

I was really impressed with the goal he scored on Sunday against Serbia.Bellingham is really powerful physically.

He entered the room after scoring that goal and declared, “Even if I claʂh heads and get hurt, I don’t care.”

He entered with all of his strength; he exudes such bravery and assurance.

“I believe in my own physical presence,” he was stating. If I go into a large central defender and get an elbow in my face, it doesn’t bother me.

“This is my ball, and I’m going to score,” was all he said.This kind of thinking is infectious to your teammates, which makes it extremely important during a competition.

They will say, ‘He went in there when it really could have injured – if there’s a 50-50 ball I am going to go in there and smaʂh it as well’.

Jude possesses both outstanding talent and great physicality, which is uncommon.

Musiala bagged a goal in Germany's opener against Scotland

Because they are not the strongest players physically, you often have to defend your incredibly talented teammate.

However, Jude doesn’t have to retreat if he’s up against a strong No. 6 or someone else. He is extremely full.

Despite Musiala being lighter and somewhat of a different player, Bellingham has a stronger physical presence than the Bayern Munich player.

But even before the game begins, both of them have the ability to mentally defeat opposing teams.

Bellingham and Musiala both possess the ability to score goals, dish out assists, win penalties, and create something extraordinary out of nothing. This is a valuable quality for any squad.

It’s a psychological edge you cultivate. During the warm-up, the opponent looks across at these players and is truly afraid.

While they may discuss shutting them down, is it actually possible for them to do so for ninety minutes?