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Jamal Musiala confirms battling rare condition after collapsing during football match
19th August, 2026 10:06 AM
Bayern Munich and Germany international midfielder Jamal Musiala has disclosed that he is managing a rare condition after experiencing two separate on-pitch collapse incidents within four days during pre-season friendly matches.
Musiala’s first collapse occurred on Saturday, August 15, 2026, during a friendly against RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena. Moments after scoring, the player suddenly appeared disoriented and lost his balance.
His teammate Ismael Saibari noticed him struggling, caught him, and helped lower him safely to the grass before medical staff rushed onto the pitch.
The second incident happened on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, during a friendly against Heidenheim. After entering the match as a 60th-minute substitute, Musiala lasted just eight minutes before he again became disoriented and collapsed on the turf.
In a statement released on his Instagram page on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, the German international expressed his gratitude for the messages of support and concern for his welfare following his second collapse. He confirmed that he is dealing with absence seizures, which caused both episodes against Leipzig and Heidenheim.
Reassurances
Musiala allayed fears surrounding the health scares, assuring supporters that the condition is treatable.
“I have been diagnosed with brief, temporary, but treatable absence seizures caused by a neurological dysfunction. These can lead to the kind of incidents that occurred recently, such as in the match against Leipzig or the game in Heidenheim,” his statement read in part.
“I know they might look scary at first glance, but for me, they are currently just part of my everyday life. I am receiving excellent medical care for this and remain very optimistic. FC Bayern and my personal support network are right by my side, helping me through this.”
Taking full responbilty
“Importantly, there is no further health risk involved. In close consultation and regular contact with the experts, it was my personal wish to face this challenge with the medical clearance from the neurologists,” he added.
Moving forward, he revealed that he has decided to take full responsibility for his recovery process and choice to keep playing.
“I want to continue doing what helps my recovery most: simply living my daily life and pursuing my passion for playing football. I have taken responsibility for this decision. Overall, I feel very positive and am on the right track.”
His club has not yet issued a statement about the incidents. The club had previously confirmed that he underwent a medical procedure as part of a standard protocol following his serious injury last summer after arriving back from the 2026 World Cup. Bayern added that he was able to complete pre-season according to a clearly structured plan
