Jamal Musiala's Battle with Absence Seizures: Support from Bayern and Team
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 collapsed – his second such incident in four days, and the first time it had happened twice in full public view.
The images were eerily familiar. Just as against RB Leipzig on Saturday, team-mates rushed towards him, with England captain Harry Kane among the first to comfort the visibly shaken midfielder.
This time, though, there was an explanation.
Musiala later revealed he is experiencing “easily treatable absence seizures”, the result of what he described as a form of “neurological dysfunction”. A clinical phrase for something that has suddenly become a very human, very visible battle for one of Europe’s brightest attacking talents.
Bayern knew before the world did
Inside Bayern, this was not a total shock.
Honorary president Uli Hoeness admitted to Sky Sports that the club had been aware of Musiala’s issues for some time, even before the World Cup, though they had not affected his ability to play.
“We have been aware of the problems for some time,” Hoeness said. “But last weekend against Leipzig was the first time it happened on the pitch and was visible to everyone.
“We thought that if it didn't happen again so quickly, the medication he is taking would help. But when it happened again four days later, in the same way, I was stunned.”
The rapid recurrence triggered a wave of concern. Many supporters questioned why Musiala was back on the pitch so soon after his first collapse. Had Bayern taken too big a risk?
Hoeness moved quickly to stress that the club had leaned entirely on medical expertise before allowing him to play.
“We've already taken precautions,” he explained. “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: “He has our full support”
Inside the dressing room, the response has been emotional as much as medical.
“Jamal is obviously going through a bit of a difficult moment right now,” 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 has seen first-hand how hard Musiala has worked just to get back on the grass.
“He is a great player, extremely talented,” he said. “He is a big part of our team. 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.”
On Tuesday night, Musiala tried to take control of the narrative himself. In a statement posted on Instagram, he described the seizures as something that has become part of his everyday life. Not a mystery. Not a secret. A condition to be managed.
What exactly are absence seizures?
Away from the emotion, the obvious question hangs over all of this: what does it actually mean?
Absence seizures are a type of generalised seizure that typically affect children and young adults. They are not the dramatic convulsions most people associate with epilepsy, but short, sharp interruptions.
There are two main types: typical and atypical.
Dr Meneka Sidhu, a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, explains that typical absence seizures usually last only a few seconds. To an onlooker, the person may simply appear to be staring into space, daydreaming, or looking blank.
In an absence seizure, awareness is impaired to varying degrees. The person can lose balance and become unresponsive during the episode.
“It can be very short-lasting, and the person can continue like nothing happened,” Dr Sidhu said. With atypical absences, which last longer, there may be automatic movements: fidgeting with the hands, eyelid fluttering, lip smacking. Some people may fall.
Repeated absence seizures over more than 24 hours can indicate epilepsy, but they can usually be controlled with medication.
“For anybody affected by epilepsy, it is important to try to identify triggers,” Dr Sidhu added. For athletes, those triggers can include hyperventilation and dehydration – both common in high-intensity sport.
Her message, though, is clear: “When effectively treated, there is no reason absence seizures should stop anyone playing sport.”
Not the first elite athlete to manage it
Musiala is not alone in trying to balance a neurological condition with elite competition.
Rugby player Tommy Freeman began having absence seizures at 14 and was later diagnosed with epilepsy. He now manages his condition with medication while playing for Northampton and England.
Cases like his offer a template: careful medical management, clear communication, and a support system strong enough to withstand the inevitable scares.
For Musiala, the diagnosis is just the latest entry in a grim list of setbacks.
A brutal 18 months
This was supposed to be the next great phase of his career. Instead, the past year and a half have been a slog.
His 2024-25 campaign ended in early April because of injury. Just over a week later, he was involved in a serious traffic accident.
He fought back to feature at the Fifa Club World Cup two months later, only to suffer a broken leg and dislocated ankle in the quarter-final against Paris St-Germain after a collision with Gianluigi Donnarumma. That ruled him out for 196 days.
When he did return, it was with a metal plate in his foot, which he played with from January through to the end of this summer’s World Cup in North America, where he made four appearances for Germany. 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 plan for uncertainty
Clubs at Bayern’s level do not leave key positions to chance. The transfer market tells its own story.
Eckner points to the £43m summer arrival of Morocco attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari as partial insurance against Musiala’s ongoing fitness problems.
“Musiala is Bayern's top earner alongside Harry Kane, but his contribution hasn't been anywhere close to Kane's,” he 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.”
The numbers underline the stakes. Bayern have built their attacking future around Musiala’s talent and potential value. Right now, though, the conversation is not about release clauses or market worth. It is about getting him safely through 90 minutes.
The medical guidance says that, with the right treatment, absence seizures should not end a sporting career. Bayern’s doctors have put that in writing. The club hierarchy has staked its decisions on it. The dressing room has rallied around it.
The next test will not be a Champions League knockout tie or a Klassiker under the lights. It will be the first time Jamal Musiala steps back onto the pitch, plays freely – and walks off again without incident.
