"I've been diagnosed with temporary, brief, but easily treatable absence seizures, which are due to a neurological dysfunction." That's Jamal Musiala, writing on Instagram after collapsing — twice, in three days — during Bayern Munich's pre-season fixtures.
The 23-year-old went down late in Saturday's 3-1 Telekom Cup win over RB Leipzig, caught by teammate Ismael Saibari before he hit the turf. Bayern named him in the squad again on Tuesday. He came on in the 60th minute against 1. FC Heidenheim, lasted nine minutes, and collapsed again. Both teams' players immediately surrounded him as he received on-field treatment before walking straight to the dressing room.
This time, Musiala decided to speak.
What he actually said
The post is calm and deliberate — no panic, no melodrama. Musiala says the seizures are neurological in origin, currently manageable, and that he has explicit clearance from neurologists to continue playing. He's framing football itself as part of the recovery process: "simply living my daily life and pursuing my passion."
He also drew a firm line around further disclosure: the matter stays between him, the club, his family, and his medical team. That's a reasonable boundary. It's also the end of what the public will get to know.
Whether Bayern's medical staff are fully comfortable with him taking the field while managing this condition is a question the club hasn't answered publicly. Kompany included him in the matchday squad two days after the first episode — that tells you something about where the internal confidence level sits, even if it doesn't tell us everything.
What this means for Bayern's season opener
Bayern face Borussia Dortmund in the DFL-Supercup on Saturday, then open their Bundesliga title defense on August 28 against VfB Stuttgart. Musiala is central to how Kompany wants to play — his ability to drift between lines and create from tight spaces is not something Bayern can easily replicate from the bench.
This follows a brutal stretch for the player personally. He broke his fibula and dislocated his ankle at last summer's Club World Cup against PSG. Before that, a torn hamstring in the Bundesliga against Augsburg. He's spent more time in the treatment room over the past 12 months than on the pitch, and now he's managing a neurological condition on top of it.
Musiala's availability is now a legitimate variable for anyone assessing Bayern's early-season strength. Their odds as Bundesliga favorites factor in a fit, consistent version of him — and right now, that version hasn't been available for a while. Depending on how frequently these episodes occur, and whether further medical intervention is needed, his participation in any given match week carries more uncertainty than his squad number suggests.
"I have a very good feeling and am on the right track," he wrote. You take him at his word. But two collapses in three days is still two collapses in three days.
