BERLIN (AP) — Jamal Musiala is emerging as Bayern Munich’s most important player this season. The club is hoping the young Germany star will stay for the long term.
Musiala’s contract with the Bavarian powerhouse is up at the end of the 2025-26 season, so there’s still plenty of time for the parties to reach an agreement on an extension.
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Munich's scorer Jamal Musiala, center, and his teammate Harry Kane, left, celebrate the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and FC Bayern Munich in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)
Munich's scorer Jamal Musiala, left, and his teammate Alphonso Davies, right, celebrate the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and FC Bayern Munich in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)
Munich's Jamal Musiala, left, and St. Pauli's Eric Smith, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and FC Bayern Munich in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)
Bayern's Jamal Musiala, left, scores the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and SL Benfica, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern's Jamal Musiala celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and SL Benfica, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
But his form this season has brought an urgency to the issue. Musiala is playing better than ever, putting Bayern’s decision-makers under pressure to tie the player to the club before he’s lured away by a rival.
Bayern lost Toni Kroos and David Alaba to Real Madrid after failing to extend their contracts, while Robert Lewandowski departed the club for Barcelona in 2022 after refusing to sign a new deal, which had a year left to run.
Musiala is much younger and Bayern has identified the 21-year-old forward as the future face of the club, albeit not at any price. Bayern has always prioritized good financial management and has consistently posted record revenues.
“Jamal is an extraordinary player (but) it’s not the time to talk about extending his contract,” Bayern director of sport Max Eberl said recently after the team’s 4-0 win over Mainz in the German Cup, when Musiala scored a hat trick.
After that game, Musiala made fun of teammate Harry Kane, giving a mock interview in which he spoke of “another special night” and “fantastic performance from the whole team against a really tough” rival, before saying “we keep it going … we want to keep this momentum.”
Kane generally gives versions of the same interview after games.
The England forward has scored 11 goals in the Bundesliga for Bayern this season, but Musiala is arguably emerging as the difference-maker for the team. And he’s constantly adding new skills to his repertoire.
Musiala scored with an uncharacteristic strike from distance for Bayern to beat St. Pauli 1-0 away on Saturday, stretching the team’s winning run to five games across all competitions.
“It was my first goal from outside the box this year,” Musiala said of his shot that went in off the underside of the crossbar. “We practiced that in training, to shoot from a bit further out. That’s why I’m even happier today.”
Musiala has been pushing his boundaries all season. He scored Bayern’s opening goal as the Bavarian powerhouse started the Bundesliga season with a 3-2 win at Wolfsburg. Despite missing some time with an injury, he has scored a total of five goals in the Bundesliga and set up two more.
He also scored with his head – another novelty – in Bayern’s 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League.
Musiala celebrated by touching his head, as if he himself was surprised he scored with a header. Usually, he scores by running at defenders, using his speed, remarkable balance, unpredictable direction and technical skill with the ball to sow panic in opposing defences. Most defenders are already aware that Musiala packs a precise punch and is capable of scoring from any angle.
The winner against Benfica was his second headed goal this season including one in his hat trick against Mainz.
“I think I’ve taken steps forward,” Musiala said. “Last year I was a little lacking in goals and assists, but I’m adding that now. I’m also trying to work on getting fitter so I can play lots of games in succession.”
Asked if Musiala was collecting arguments for his contract extension, Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund replied that the player “already had plenty of plenty arguments.”
Freund preferred to focus on the player’s present rather than his future.
“We said the last couple of weeks, now he’s scoring headers. And now he’s scoring from distance – you don’t see that every day,” Freund said. “It was another great goal. They’re also important goals that he’s scoring. He’s in super form.”
Musiala next has Nations League games with Germany against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hungary, before the Bundesliga resumes with Bayern hosting Augsburg on Nov. 22.
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Munich's scorer Jamal Musiala, center, and his teammate Harry Kane, left, celebrate the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and FC Bayern Munich in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)
Munich's scorer Jamal Musiala, left, and his teammate Alphonso Davies, right, celebrate the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and FC Bayern Munich in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)
Munich's Jamal Musiala, left, and St. Pauli's Eric Smith, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and FC Bayern Munich in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)
Bayern's Jamal Musiala, left, scores the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and SL Benfica, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Bayern's Jamal Musiala celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and SL Benfica, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s anti-corruption agency on Friday dispatched investigators to execute a warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law decree last month, as hundreds of his supporters gathered at his residence in Seoul, vowing to block their approach.
Investigators of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials were seen loading boxes into several vehicles before leaving their building in the city of Gwacheon early in the morning. Television footage later showed some of those vehicles weaving between police buses that tightly packed and barricaded the streets near Yoon’s residence.
The office didn’t immediately confirm how many investigators were sent.
It wasn’t clear whether the president would cooperate with authorities trying to detain him. Yoon in a defiant New Year’s message to conservative supporters rallying outside his residence said he will “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces.” His lawyers have described the warrant to detain him as “invalid” and “illegal.”
A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention on Tuesday after he evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office in Seoul, hindering an investigation into whether his ill-conceived power grab on Dec. 3 amounted to rebellion.
The warrant is valid for one week, and investigators may make another attempt to detain Yoon if they are unable to do so on Friday.
Thousands of police officers were gathered at Yoon’s residence. There were no immediate reports of clashes with protesters.
If Yoon is detained, the anti-corruption agency will have 48 hours to investigate him and either request a warrant for his formal arrest or release him. Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the martial law enactment.
Yoon’s lawyers have argued the court’s detainment warrant is invalid, claiming that the anti-corruption agency lacks the legal authority to investigate rebellion charges. They also accuse the court of bypassing a law that says locations potentially linked to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge.
Oh Dong-woon, the anti-corruption agency’s chief prosecutor, has indicated that police forces might be deployed if Yoon’s security service resists the detention attempt.
But Yoon’s legal team issued a statement on Thursday warning that any attempt by the anti-corruption agency to use police units for his detention would exceed their legal authority. The lawyers said police officers could face arrest by either the “presidential security service or any citizens” if they try to detain Yoon. They didn’t elaborate further on the claim.
South Korean law permits anyone to make an arrest to stop an active crime, and critics accused Yoon of inciting his supporters to obstruct attempts to detain him.
Yoon Kap-keun, the president’s lawyer, filed a challenge with the Seoul Western District Court on Thursday to block both the detention warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol and a related search warrant for his residence. The lawyer argued that both warrants violate criminal laws and the constitution.
The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which drove the legislative vote that impeached Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14 over his imposition of martial law, accused the president of trying to mobilize his supporters to block his detention and called for law enforcement authorities to execute the warrant immediately.
Braving subfreezing temperatures, thousands of Yoon’s supporters rallied for hours near his residence on Thursday amid a heavy police presence, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting, “Nullify the impeachment!” and “We will protect President Yoon Suk Yeol!” Officers removed some protesters who laid down on a road leading to the entrance of Yoon’s residence, but there were no immediate reports of major clashes.
Some experts believe the anti-corruption agency, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities, would not risk clashing with Yoon’s security service, which has said it will provide security to Yoon in accordance with the law. The office may instead issue another summons for Yoon to appear for questioning if they are not able to execute the detainment warrant by the Jan. 6 deadline.
Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended following a National Assembly vote to impeach him on Dec. 14 over his imposition of martial law, which lasted only hours but has triggered weeks of political turmoil, halted high-level diplomacy and rattled financial markets. Yoon’s fate now lies with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him.
To formally end Yoon’s presidency, at least six justices on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favor.
The National Assembly voted last week to also impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became acting president after Yoon’s powers were suspended, over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of Yoon’s case.
Facing growing pressure, the new acting president, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, appointed two new justices on Tuesday, which possibly increased the chances of the court upholding Yoon’s impeachment.
Yoon’s imposition of martial law ended after only six hours when the National Assembly voted 190-0 to lift it despite attempts by heavily armed soldiers to prevent them from voting.
Yoon has defended his martial law decree as a necessary act of governance, portraying it as a temporary warning against the Democratic Party, which he has described as an “anti-state” force obstructing his agenda with its legislative majority.
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, as police offices stand guard near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Police officers drag away supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as Yoon faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lie down on the ground as Yoon faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lie down on the ground as Yoon faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lie down on the ground as Yoon faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Police officers escort away a supporter of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as Yoon faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The signs read, "Oppose impeachment." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The signs read, "Oppose impeachment." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The signs read, "Oppose impeachment." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The signs read, "Oppose impeachment." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
FILE - In this photo provided by the South Korean President Office, the country's President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 14, 2024. (South Korean Presidential Office via AP, File)
