Neurologists on Musiala: He May Need Lifelong Therapy
After two on-field collapses, experts from Germany and Italy explain what is happening to the Bayern player and his chances of continuing his career.
After two on-field collapses, experts from Germany and Italy explain what is happening to the Bayern player and his chances of continuing his career.
The football world is closely monitoring the health condition of Jamal Musiala, the 23-year-old attacking midfielder for Bayern Munich, who suffered two collapses on the pitch within just four days. Although a final diagnosis has not yet been confirmed, leading neurologists believe this could be epileptic seizures, but they are simultaneously optimistic about his future career.
The first incident occurred on Saturday during a friendly match against RB Leipzig, and the second on Tuesday, shortly after coming on against 1. FC Heidenheim. In both cases, Musiala suddenly collapsed but recovered within a few minutes and left the pitch on his own, albeit visibly disoriented. The footage of the second incident also shows limb movements, but no conclusions can be drawn from the footage alone.
After the second incident, Bayern's sporting director Max Eberl confirmed that the club was aware of Musiala's health condition and that his appearances in both matches were pre-arranged with the medical team. The club emphasized that there are currently no indications that this neurological issue could jeopardize the continuation of his professional career.
Musiala himself revealed that he has been diagnosed with brief, temporary "absences" linked to neurological dysfunction, and he assured the public that he feels well and is under specialist supervision. In an Instagram post, he said: "The most important thing at the start - I'm fine! I've been diagnosed with short, temporary, and well-treatable absence seizures resulting from neurological dysfunction. I know it might seem scary, but for me, they are currently part of everyday life. I'm under the best medical care and I'm very optimistic."
In the moments when Musiala collapsed during the match against Heidenheim, players from both teams shielded him from the cameras with their bodies, while fans chanted his name. Many recalled the tragedies of Marc-Vivien Foé and Antonio Puerta, but the fact that Musiala left the pitch on his own both times pointed to a different nature of the problem.
Professor Christoph Kleinschnitz, director of the Neurology Clinic at the University Hospital in Essen, told the German Bild: "From a neurological perspective, this could be an epileptic seizure, specifically so-called absence epilepsy." He emphasized that it is impossible to speak of a final diagnosis without access to all neurological findings and that he is not Musiala's doctor.
Absences are seizures characterized by a sudden and brief loss of consciousness and lack of response to the environment, and according to the definition of the International League Against Epilepsy, a brief loss of attention alone is not sufficient for a diagnosis. "This condition is treated successfully, and Musiala could continue playing football," added Kleinschnitz, noting that if the diagnosis is confirmed, lifelong therapy would be necessary.
Croatian neurologist Dr. Hrvoje Budinčević further clarified the characteristics of absence seizures: "The person most often suddenly stops their activity and stares blankly. This seizure usually lasts about 5 to 20 seconds, after which the person almost immediately returns to normal. An absence seizure itself is usually not life-threatening and typically does not cause falls. So we need to consider that it might not be a so-called atonic seizure, where people lose muscle tone and therefore fall."
Professor Maria Paola Canevini, director of the Epilepsy Center at ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo in Milan, offered a somewhat different assessment to Corriere della Sera. "Further diagnostic confirmation is still needed, but the picture of the manifestations seems compatible with epileptic seizures," she said, warning that if Musiala had a subjective sensation at the onset of the episode, it could more likely be focal seizures, i.e., seizures that begin in a specific area of the cerebral cortex.
Canevini explained the difference between focal and generalized seizures: focal seizures begin in a limited part of the brain, while generalized seizures affect both brain hemispheres from the start. She also emphasized that epilepsy and professional sports are not incompatible and that there is no ban on sports for people with epilepsy. According to her, in about 70% of epilepsy cases, seizures can be successfully controlled with medication, allowing the continuation of sports activity.
Dr. Budinčević agrees with that assessment: "Epilepsy itself is not a contraindication for ending a career or for engaging in sports, whether professional or recreational. What is very important is to have good seizure control, and that can be achieved very well, even excellently, with many of the medications we have available for treating this disease."
Professor Canevini recalled the case of Italian athlete Salvatore Antibo, silver Olympic medalist in the 10,000 meters from Seoul 1988 and double European champion from Split 1990, who also lived with epilepsy. Antibo had a seizure during the World Championships in Tokyo in 1991, but successfully returned to competition, proving that with controlled therapy, a top-level sports career is possible.
Musiala will continue with detailed examinations and therapy with neurology specialists, while his appearance in the German Supercup against Borussia Dortmund has not yet been officially confirmed. Bayern still counts on the 23-year-old midfielder, but whether he will be ready for that match is currently unknown.
