Jamal Musiala's Absence Seizures: Bayern's Concern and Support
Jamal Musiala had barely stepped onto the pitch when it happened again.
Eight minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute in Bayern Munich’s pre-season friendly against Heidenheim on Tuesday, the 23-year-old went down, collapsing for the second time in four days. The images were hauntingly familiar to those from Saturday’s game against RB Leipzig: team-mates rushing over, Harry Kane among the first to comfort him, concern etched across faces that have seen just about everything in elite football.
This time, though, there was a clearer name for what was happening.
Musiala has since revealed he is experiencing “easily treatable absence seizures”, caused by a type of “neurological dysfunction”. A phrase that sounds clinical on paper, but on the grass, under the floodlights, looks like a rising star suddenly cut from the action, his body betraying him in front of thousands.
Bayern knew – but not like this
Inside Bayern, this was not a complete shock. The club confirmed there had been signs of Musiala’s condition even before the World Cup. Until now, though, it had never interfered with his football.
“We have been aware of the problems for some time,” honorary president Uli Hoeness told Sky Sports. “But last weekend against Leipzig was the first time it happened on the pitch and was visible to everyone.”
Leipzig was the warning. Heidenheim was the jolt.
“We thought that if it didn't happen again so quickly, the medication he is taking would help,” Hoeness admitted. “But when it happened again four days later, in the same way, I was stunned.”
Plenty of supporters felt something else: anger and confusion. Why was Musiala playing again so soon after collapsing on Saturday?
Inside Bayern, the response was swift and defensive. Club officials stressed that the Germany international had been cleared to play by medical experts before Tuesday’s game.
“We've already taken precautions,” Hoeness said. “The doctors treating him, the neurologists and specialists, have provided us with written confirmation – because this was absolutely essential for us – that, in their view, there are no concerns regarding Jamal taking part in high-performance sport.
“Without that, we would have been acting negligently. Since we've had this written confirmation, we've been sleeping a little more soundly.
“But I must say, I'm rarely at a loss for words or without a clear solution. We'll have to feel our way through this new situation first.”
Kane: “Just about supporting Jamal”
While the medical debate raged, Bayern’s dressing room closed ranks around one of its most gifted players.
“Jamal is obviously going through a bit of a difficult moment right now,” Harry Kane told BBC Sport. “I know he posted on social media about the small condition he has and from our point of view it is just about supporting Jamal.
“He is going through something that not everyone goes through, but there are also people who have dealt with it before and he is doing everything possible to be his best version.”
Kane didn’t talk like a captain protecting a team-mate for the cameras. He talked like someone who has watched Musiala grind his way back from one setback after another.
“He is a great player, extremely talented. He is a big part of our team,” he said. “We feel really sorry for him and frustrated for him when things happen like they do in the last couple of games.
“He has the full support from everyone here at Bayern and his friends and family, and we will be there to help him deal with it.
“He came off the back of a tough injury last season, I know how much he works behind the scenes and on the training pitch. From our point of view it is just to be there to support him and not just from my point of view, but the whole team as well.”
After Tuesday’s collapse, Musiala himself tried to take control of the story. On Instagram, he explained that the seizures have become part of his everyday life. For a player used to gliding past opponents, the idea of having to navigate his own brain must feel like the cruelest kind of twist.
What are absence seizures?
Strip away the emotion and the diagnosis is clear.
Absence seizures are a type of generalised seizure, most common in children and young adults. They come in two forms: typical and atypical.
Dr Meneka Sidhu, a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, describes typical absence seizures as short, sharp breaks in awareness.
They usually last only seconds. The person may look like they are daydreaming or staring blankly. In those moments, awareness slips, sometimes balance too. The person can be unresponsive for the duration of the episode.
“It can be very short-lasting, and the person can continue like nothing happened,” Dr Sidhu said.
Atypical absences can last longer. They can bring automatic movements: fidgeting with the hands, eyelid fluttering, lip smacking. Some people fall.
Repeated absence seizures over more than 24 hours can point towards epilepsy, though medication can control the condition.
“For anybody affected by epilepsy, it is important to try to identify triggers,” Dr Sidhu added. For athletes, that might mean hyperventilation, dehydration, the extremes of physical exertion.
Her message for sport, though, was clear: “When effectively treated, there is no reason absence seizures should stop anyone playing sport.”
This is not uncharted territory for elite athletes. Rugby player Tommy Freeman began having absence seizures at 14, was later diagnosed with epilepsy, and now manages the condition with tablets while playing for Northampton and England.
A brutal 18 months
For Musiala, this diagnosis arrives at the end of a punishing spell that would test any player’s resilience.
His 2024-25 campaign ended early in April because of injury. Just over a week later, he was involved in a serious traffic accident. He still fought his way back, returning two months later to play in the Fifa Club World Cup.
Then came another hammer blow. In the quarter-final against Paris St-Germain, Musiala suffered a broken leg and a dislocated ankle in a collision with Gianluigi Donnarumma. The damage ruled him out for 196 days.
When he did return, it was with a metal plate in his foot. He played with that from January until the end of this summer’s World Cup in North America, making four appearances for Germany while managing pain and limitation.
The plate was only removed in July, cutting into his pre-season and limiting his ability to train properly.
“Musiala hasn't been much of a factor in the past 18 months,” German football expert Constantin Eckner said. “He came back for the Club World Cup but suffered a broken leg when he collided with Gianluigi Donnarumma.
“It took him months to recover from that. He just had a metal plate removed from his left foot so he played with that for half a year and had to deal with ankle issues.
“Naturally, his performances left much to be desired. The start to the upcoming season would have been difficult anyway, because he didn't take part in team training for some time due to the surgery in which the plate was removed. Now, there's another stumbling block.”
Bayern have already acted with one eye on that uncertainty. Their £43m summer move for Morocco attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari was, Eckner suggested, partly a hedge against Musiala’s fitness issues.
“Musiala is Bayern's top earner alongside Harry Kane, but his contribution hasn't been anywhere close to Kane's,” Eckner said. “He is still young and things can change again.
“He has a release clause in his contract that could be triggered next summer, but the fee would be in the nine digits. It is unrealistic that any club would be willing to pay that for him at the moment.”
So Bayern wait. The doctors monitor. The dressing room rallies. A 23-year-old who was supposed to be the face of their next era now has to win a different kind of battle first.
If the medication works and the triggers are controlled, the neurologists say there is no reason he cannot keep playing at the very top. The question, as the new season looms, is whether Musiala’s body will finally give him the clear run his talent deserves.
