An Englishman has helped to destroy Scotland in Euro 2024's opener in Munich. That is because Germany have a player who holds an English passport.
Jamal Musiala, the 21-year-old Bayern Munich forward, even represented England at a number of youth levels before opting for the land of his birth in 2021. Musiala was born in Stuttgart to a German mother and a Nigerian-British father, before moving to the England at the age of seven, attending secondary school in Croydon. His dual citizenship means he holds passports for both Germany and the UK.
Musiala played for Chelsea's youth teams between the age of eight and 15 but left the club in July 2019, aged 16, to move back to Germany in order to sign for Bayern. His family have since gone on record as saying Brexit had an impact in their decision to leave the UK.
Musiala's decision to represent the Nationalmannschaft was a blow to the English FA, who had been attempting to persuade a player who made 16 appearances for the Three Lions' various youth teams to commit to Gareth Southgate's senior squad.
Yet the allure of representing his birth nation - whom he also played for at youth level - coupled with manager Jogi Low's promise of more game time and inclusion at Euro 2020, seemed to tip the balance in Germany's favour.
Gareth Southgate has already admitted his annoyance at losing Musiala to the Germans.
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