Bayern back Musiala to stay at highest level after seizures diagnosis

Germany footballer Jamal Musiala's career is not at risk after he was diagnosed with absence seizures, Bayern Munich's honorary president Uli Hoeness said on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old collapsed on the pitch in Bayern's 4-2 friendly win at second-tier Heidenheim on Tuesday, having done the same in Saturday's 3-1 friendly victory over RB Leipzig.

He wrote on social media after the Heidenheim game that he was suffering from "brief, temporary - but treatable - absence seizures resulting from a neurological dysfunction" and that he was "optimistic."

Hoeness told German broadcaster RTL/Sky the club had also received a written statement from neurologists treating Musiala stating there were "no concerns about elite sport," which had made club officials sleep "a bit more peacefully."

Bayern sources also told dpa there is no evidence that the playmaker cannot continue his career at the highest level. The sources said Musiala’s involvement in the two matches had been completely unproblematic and had been discussed extensively with doctors.

Fans on social media had questioned why he played on Tuesday following Saturday's incident.

"It is a drama - especially for Jamal," Hoeness added. "Now with these two incidents on Saturday and yesterday it is naturally a problem, first and foremost of course for Jamal as a person. I go to bed with him on my mind and I wake up with him on my mind."

There is "unconditional support for Jamal in every respect," the 74-year-old said. "At the moment, to be honest, we are pretty much at a loss for words. We could not prepare for this and we first have to learn how to deal with this situation."

Broken leg

Musiala also broke his leg in July 2025 and has been struggling to find full fitness ever since. Bayern's first competitive game of the season comes on Saturday in the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup at Borussia Dortmund.

There was initially no prognosis from the club on how things would develop for the attacking player in the coming days and weeks. The German double winners begin the defence of their Bundesliga title at home to VfB Stuttgart on August 28.

Musiala took to Instagram on Tuesday to try to allay fans' fears, writing: "First things first, I am doing well. I am incredibly grateful for your messages and your support!

"I understand that many of you are worried. I would like to put those concerns to rest today and explain the situation: I have been diagnosed with brief, temporary - but treatable - absence seizures resulting from a neurological dysfunction.

"These can lead to the kind of incidents seen recently, such as during the match against Leipzig or the game in Heidenheim.

"I know they might look alarming at first glance, but for me, they are currently part of my everyday life. I am receiving excellent medical care and remain very optimistic. FC Bayern and my personal support network are right by my side, helping me through this."

Form of epilepsy

Doctors say absence seizures are brief, sudden lapses of consciousness which usually do not cause any long-term problems and are most common in children. They can be classed as a form of epilepsy.

Bayern players Manuel Neuer and Dayot Upamecano reacted with heart emojis to Musiala's heath update, knowing how much he has been through over the last year.

Hoeness said the club had known about the issue and that there was an agreement Musiala would go public if a second episode occurred after the Leipzig incident.

"We expected anything, just not this accumulation," he remarked.

At the Club World Cup in Atlanta in July last year, Musiala broke his fibula and severely damaged his ankle in a defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals after a collision with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

When he returned to action, he failed to recapture his scintillating form and in March, he suffered a pain reaction in the ankle and took a break.

Pundits wondered whether Musiala should sit out the World Cup, but he was selected and again struggled, just like the wider Germany team.

After the last-32 exit to Paraguay, he underwent a small operation to remove a metal plate from his foot left over from last year's operation.

Bayern had hoped that would free him up to get back to his best, but fans are now wondering if the absences seizures are another hindrance.

The champions brought in Morocco forward Ismael Saibari during the close season after he starred at the World Cup.

The signing from PSV Eindhoven could fill in for Musiala in the number 10 role as could teenager Lennart Karl and veteran Serge Gnabry, although both missed Germany's ill-fated World Cup campaign through injury and are not yet 100% fit.