Medication Change Causes Jamal Musiala's Collapses, Says Kompany

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany says a change in Jamal Musiala’s medication triggered the worrying collapses the midfielder suffered in recent friendlies.

Musiala, 23, revealed earlier this week he is being treated for what he called a “neurological dysfunction”, which leads to “temporary, brief, but easily treatable” seizures. Bayern later confirmed they had been aware of signs of the condition before the World Cup and throughout last season, but until now it had not affected him on the pitch.

The issue burst into public view after Musiala twice went down in the space of four days, in warm‑up games against RB Leipzig and Heidenheim. The images raised alarm far beyond Säbener Straße.

Speaking before Saturday’s German Supercup clash with Borussia Dortmund, Kompany explained what had changed.

“I spoke with Jamal, he said, ‘no problem, you can say it’,” Kompany told reporters. “He made a slight change to his treatment, which caused some side effects. It’s perfectly normal to make changes to a treatment plan.”

The collapses, then, were not the start of the story, but the consequence of an adjustment Bayern and the player believed was manageable.

Kompany stressed that inside the club the initial shock had long since passed.

“The initial shock for us was a long time ago. Therefore, we’re not talking about it that much at the moment,” he said. “We’ve received much more information since then and made decisions with the help of leading experts. Jamal has everyone’s support.”

That support runs through the club hierarchy. Sporting director Max Eberl underlined that Bayern’s dressing room has lived with the reality of Musiala’s condition for some time.

“We’ve known about it the entire last season. The players also knew about it. For us, it’s become part of everyday life,” Eberl said. “We will give him all our support, have already done so, and will continue to do so. We’re doing this together.”

Musiala himself wanted his situation to be made public, a deliberate move to take control of the narrative around his health and to avoid speculation as footage of his collapses spread.

For now, though, Bayern will have to do without him on the pitch.

Kompany has ruled Musiala out of the Supercup opener, along with Lennard Maloney and Serge Gnabry. The Belgian is determined to restore a sense of normality around his young star.

He spoke of wanting to “get things back to how they were before” and confirmed Musiala will train “individually” for the rest of the week as Bayern fine‑tune preparations for the start of their Bundesliga title defence against Stuttgart.

The Supercup will go on without one of Bayern’s brightest talents. The real question is how quickly Musiala’s carefully managed treatment can bring him back to being simply what he wants to be again: a footballer, not a medical talking point.