Lewis Bate says former Chelsea prodigy Jamal Musiala is on the pathway to reaching footballing immortality.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Bate suggested that his old Cobham colleague could well be on the way to sporting greatness.
Musiala and the Leeds United loanee were co-workers in the Chelsea academy before they both broke off from being a Blue.
It’s fair to say the young pair have gone in quite contrasting directions since setting sail from South West London, neither having made a senior appearance for the Premier League side.
Bate left Chelsea in 2021 to join Leeds, but was sent out on loan to Oxford United the following season.
The 20-year-old has played 21 times for the League 1 team, and could face Arsenal in the FA Cup later today.
Jamal Musiala is the one who got away from Chelsea
Meanwhile, across Europe, Musiala continues to stake a claim for the most talented teenager in the game right now.
He departed Chelsea in 2019 after eight-years in the capital, with Bayern Munich welcoming the young forward into their home.
It only took around 12-months for the German international to break into Bayern’s first-team, a position he has held ever since.
His role in the national set-up is going to be secured for the next decade at least as well.
Musiala was Germany’s only real shining light from the World Cup, a tournament that ended in the group stage.
Despite Hansi Flick’s failure at the first hurdle, there should not be a black mark against the name of a nation’s golden child.
“I still remember sitting next to him at maths every day when I was at Chelsea’s school. But it doesn’t surprise me. He was always going to go to the very top, he’s there now, but he will go on to win the Ballon D’Or,” Bate claimed confidently about Musiala.
“For me, I am biased because I grew up with him, he’s the best youngster in the world.”
Is Musiala made for the Ballon d’Or?
Should Musiala ever go on to lift the World Cup, then the Ballon d’Or will surely not be too far behind.
He certainly possesses the attributes to claim the personal accolade often associated to Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Whilst the 19-year-old still has some way to go to reach Messi or Ronaldo stardom, he is surely destined for similar significance.
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