Matthaus blames Bayern for Musiala's absence at the Ballon d'Or list

Speaking to the ‘Bild’ newspaper, Lothar Matthaus said that in order to get back to winning ways, Bayern Munich must regain "the feeling of belonging", which, he said, "has been completely lost recently", and that this "must grow again in the team, but also in the management".

The historic midfielder was referring to the absence of Jamal Musiala from the 30 Ballon d'Or nominees, a fact he blamed on recent collective results. However, he would have included his compatriot, just as Bayern sporting director Max Eberl had done the day before.

"With the malaise that has reigned at the club over the past two years, no player can win the award," said the former Germany captain.

Matthaus pointed out that "to win individual awards, you simply have to win titles with your team" and recalled when he won the award for best player of the season.

"I also won the Ballon d'Or in 1990 because we played well for Inter Milan and were world champions with the German national team. No matter how much you play individually and score a lot of goals, if you don't win anything with your team, you still have little chance of winning those awards," he said.

The former Bayern player remarked that Musiala "has everything he needs to win the Ballon d'Or: thanks to his understanding of the game, his movement and his ball control, he can do things that most people don't even think are possible".

"Recently, he has also significantly improved his finishing in front of goal. That's why it's logical and right that he's setting his sights on the Ballon d'Or. Of course, he will think about his surroundings to find out where he can best achieve this," Matthaus concluded.