Oliver Kahn has followed up on the fierce criticism of his statements about Jamal Musiala – and tried to defuse the discussion. The former Bayern boss feels misunderstood and now emphasizes that he by no means wanted to advise the DFB star against taking part in the World Cup
Kahn made it clear via X: „It’s worth listening carefully every now and then.“ His statements had apparently been interpreted differently, which is why the 56-year-old immediately followed up with the decisive message: „If Jamal Musiala is ready, he belongs on the big World Cup stage.“
Kahn qualifies his statements
Kahn is thus backtracking, at least in part, after his original statements had caused quite a stir. In the Sky program „Triple“, he had stated that it could make sense for Musiala to miss the World Cup if he was not at 100 percent after his serious injury – especially mentally
It is precisely this point that Kahn has now brought back into focus: it is not about a general refusal, but about the question of whether a player is ready to „go into the duels with 100 percent“. If this is not the case, it could be „more sensible“ to miss the tournament
At the same time, however, the former world-class goalkeeper also emphasized that every player has to be assessed individually – and that the situation could change completely before the World Cup anyway
Obviously, statements can be interpreted in very different ways.
Here’s the crucial passage from „Triple – der Hagedorn Fußballtalk“ again:
When Jamal Musiala is ready, he belongs on the big World Cup stage.It’s worth listening carefully every now and then. pic.twitter.com/lnm0Sx1efJ
– Oliver Kahn (@OliverKahn) April 14, 2026
Hope for an „aha moment“
Interestingly, Kahn even explicitly rules out the possibility of Musiala regaining his old strength before the World Cup. „It can’t be ruled out that a lot of things will suddenly come loose and he’ll be back,“ he explained. In that case, the matter would be clear to him: Musiala would then have to go to the World Cup
This makes it clear that Kahn’s original statement was intended less as a recommendation and more as a scenario – a differentiation that was initially lost in the public debate
The reactions from Munich were not long in coming. Several people in charge, including President Herbert Hainer, publicly contradicted Kahn and demonstratively backed Musiala. The player himself also took a clear position: „I definitely want to go to the World Cup.“
With his latest statement, Kahn is now trying to calm the waters – and to put himself in a different light. Whether he will succeed remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the discussion about Musiala’s participation in the World Cup is far from over.