Julian Nagelsmann was full of praise of Bayern Munich youngsters Jamal Musiala and Aleksandar Pavlovic after they both starred in Germany’s emphatic 5-0 win over Hungary.
Germany made a dream start to their UEFA Nations League campaign on Saturday evening as they claimed a stunning 5-0 win over Hungary. Led by an inspired Jamal Musiala performance, the DFB team cruised to a comfortable win.
Julian Nagelsmann: Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz have the potential to win the Ballon d’Or
The Bayern Munich playmaker scored the second goal and notched up a hat-trick of assists in Germany’s big win. And Julian Nagelsmann said after the game that both Musiala and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz have the potential to win the Ballon d’Or one day.
“When both are in the mood and really put their foot down, it’s difficult for the opposition, they’re exceptionally good. These are two footballers – when they link up with each other, it’s very, very good to watch,” Nagelsmann told ZDF. “Jamal has already undergone a great transformation in the past year in terms of his presence in the box. During the tournament it was very good, today it was phenomenal.”
Both [Musiala and Wirtz] have the potential to win the Ballon d’Or,” he added (via Sky Sport).
Nagelsmann also hailed the impact of Aleksandar Pavlovic, who opened his goalscoring account for the Germany national team. The highly rated midfielder came off the bench and scored his side’s fourth goal with a good finish under pressure after getting on the end of Musiala’s pass.
After the game, Nagelsmann hailed Pavlovic as the ideal defensive midfielder for his team. “Pavlovic played a really good game. He was immediately very dominant. He embodies very, very much of what I expect from the number six and has a desire to win. I like that a lot,” Nagelsmann told ZDF.
Pavlovic will certainly have plenty of opportunities to make the number six spot his own in the Germany national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Having started the season well for both club and country, the 20 year old will now look to continue his fine run of form in the coming months.