The 21st most valuable footballer in the world according to Transfermarkt has announced he has been suffering with absence seizures.
The Bayern Munich forward, who played in all four of Germany’s World Cup games this summer, collapsed twice in two separate games last week. Describing his seizures as ‘completely treatable’ he hopes to be able to resume his career as soon as possible.
Image Source: Jamal Musiala Instagram
The news of Musiala’s diagnosis means that two of the top 25 most expensive footballers in the world have been directly affected by seizures. World Cup winner, Lamine Yamal’s father missed the trophy lift after being afraid to travel to the USA due to his epilepsy.
Jon Eaton, Communications and Digital Engagement Director at Epilepsy Action said: “We know that epilepsy affects 1 in 100 people and we also know that it can happen to anyone. That two of the most talented footballers in the world have been impacted by seizures really drives this home.”
“Most people only associate epilepsy with tonic-clonic seizures. These seizures are characterised by people falling to the ground and shaking often visibly losing consciousness. The reality is that there are many other types of seizures including absence seizures. These are as dangerous as tonic-clonic seizures because people appear conscious but in reality they are not.”
“It is really important that we all know what different seizures look like. Every day three people die from epilepsy related causes. People with epilepsy can’t control when they have a seizure but we the general public can control what happens next.”
What are absence seizures?
Absence seizures are one of six main types of seizure associated with epilepsy. People experiencing absence seizures can look as if they are staring into space. People appear to be conscious but in reality they are not. This can put someone at risk if a seizure happens in certain situations, such as crossing a road or near a railway.
Lots of children suffer from absence seizures with many being falsely accused of day-dreaming in classes. Last year nearly 30,000 people visited our website looking for information on absence seizures.
Like all seizures they are diagnosed by a neurologist using an EEG.
How has Jamal Musiala been diagnosed so quickly?
Sports teams tend to have access to healthcare professionals at very short notice. That said, being in Germany rather than the UK is likely to dramatically speed up the diagnosis timeframe with 4 times the number of neurologists available than in the UK.
What are Epilepsy Action doing in this area?
Epilepsy Action have already provided training to the English Football League (EFL) and Chelsea FC who did a screen activation during a Champions League match last season.
In the build up to the final day of the Premier League season, we ran a national awareness campaign which reached over 2 million people and featured an interview on TalkSPORT with Hull City Midfielder Matt Crooks. Matt is set to become the first player with epilepsy to play in the Premier League since former Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd in the 2012-13 season.
Later this year Epilepsy Action is doing a further activation with EFL side Port Vale. Leon Legge who developed epilepsy aged 16 and played for the club between 2018 and 2022.
How can I improve my epilepsy awareness?
Epilepsy Action offer a range of learning and training opportunities for Epilepsy.
For individuals you can start your journey by visiting our what is epilepsy webpage. For organisations we offer bespoke training. You can also learn what to do if witnessing someone having a tonic-clonic seizure by watching this 90 second video.
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