Yunus Musah has been waiting for this moment for a long time. Since he made his competitive debut for Valencia at just 17 years and eight months of age he has had the sense that the first part of this career was bound for Qatar and his first World Cup.
Indeed, any time Musah has gotten a text, a tweet or a DM in the last few years it has come with a reminder of the great prize he is dreaming of, the World Cup taking had pride of place on his lock screen. He will still be a teenager when he takes the field in Qatar. For some, it might all have come too fast. Looking back through the highlights of his career in an exclusive interview with CBS Sports ahead of the USMNT naming a World Cup squad he is nigh-on certain to be included in, Musah gives every impression he wishes it could have come quicker.
"I've been waiting a long time for this game," he says, looking back on the match against Wales where he made his international debut. The next time he faces them will be America's first World Cup game in over eight years. "Now that you put my mind to it, I'm going to be playing in the World Cup, my first World Cup game, against the team I debuted against. That'll be special, a very important game to start off this tournament strong. It's a must win, you know, you have to have to go out there and start off the tournament on the front foot."
Golazo Starting XI Newsletter
Get your Soccer Fix from Around the Globe
Your ultimate guide to the Beautiful Game as our experts take you beyond the pitch and around the globe with news that matters.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
Musah ripples with the excitement of a man with nothing to fear on the biggest stage. Unlike some of his USMNT contemporaries, form is on his side whilst the one minor injury he has suffered this season at least saved him from the contamination of the radioactive wasteland that was the USMNT;s defeat to Japan and draw with Saudi Arabia in friendlies during the last international window. Instead, the 19-year-old has been carving out a significant role for himself at Valencia under the tutelage of one of the great midfielders of his era, former AC Milan enforcer Gennaro Gattuso.
The challenge that will be posed by greats of the international stage in Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale is one that Musah relishes. "It's going to show whether I'm there or I'm not." For many in Gregg Berhalter's roster the answer in Qatar may just prove to be that they are not quite there yet, that a home tournament in the summer of 2026 will be their big moment on the world stage.
It is not a view that Musah would argue with, though he sees things through a different prism. "We're at a good level now and we should be even better level in four years time, playing in big clubs, being important players in big clubs, which most people already are. If the team's good right now, imagine in four years."
He adds: "We're going [to Qatar] to do our best, to win as many games as possible, go far the competition and be as ambitious as possible. We want to go all the way. We feel like we're a team that is capable of doing that."
One suspects that if they are to do so Musah will need to play a major part. His role in Berhalter's side is a significant one. In the USMNT's best performances he has served as the link man between defense and attack, getting the ball off the center backs and moving his team mates into the areas of the pitch where Giovanni Reyna, Christian Pulisic and Brenden Aaronson can do danger.
At his very best -- as in an outstanding display when the USA beat Mexico 2-0 in a Concacaf World Cup qualifier -- Musah has the ability to draw opponents to him, receiving the ball on the half turn and driving beyond his opponents. As Musah receives a quick pass out from Steffen he has swiftly positioned himself so that he can immediately get up the pitch. He uses his own momentum and that of the ball to breeze away from Edson Alvarez, who cannot even make good enough contact to foul his opponent. Not until Musah has taken the ball to the halfway line can anyone lay a glove on him, Luis Romo hauling him down before he could slip a pass to Ricardo Pepi. The referee really ought to have handed the US a free kick.
Keep watching Musah and you see it is perhaps his outstanding quality, one that in years to come should make for an almighty threat to opposition midfields.
"I feel like it's a responsibility for me to be able to receive the ball and go forward with it," he says. "If I'm facing my own goal, most of the time I'm not going to be able to go forward. So it's important to receive on the half turn so that at least I gave myself the option to go forwards and take the team up the field. I really try to take that responsibility on myself to help the team get forward."
These are heavy burdens to be placing on young shoulders. Musah wears them well. Perhaps that is merely reflective of a young footballer who has yet to suffer the career setbacks that will surely come. But he does not seem to be a young man who dwells on the past.
Musah seems firmly focused on his next steps, envisaging before every game how he can shine again. "I'm always thinking positively, trying to have a lot of self-belief. What helps is when you start the game well: your first passes are nice, your first tackles, you win those duels and you're feeling good. When you start the game with a bad pass or something you're already a bit low on confidence.
"I'm always [visualizing myself] scoring, definitely, then thinking about controlling the ball, concentrating and passing it. Simple things like this are really, really important to get right, especially in the middle, where you have so many people around you. Once you get these basics, the whole game around you like just builds up and you do amazing things. Personally I think about the simple situations and try to get them right and then once you get them right, everything else just flows really."
Watch every match of the UEFA Champions League every year on Paramount+. Paramount+ is the only place to watch every minute of every UCL match this season in addition to Serie A, NWSL, Europa League and more. Get 50% off the annual plan with promo code ALLYEAR! A subscription not only gives you access to all the soccer you could want but also the NFL on CBS, and countless movies, shows and original content.
There is naturally room for improvement, and Musah himself acknowledges that he needs to weigh in with more goals and assists. His metrics in both categories -- both expected and actual -- have swung up this season but his only direct goal contributions came with a brace of assists in a 5-2 thrashing of Getafe in early September. He views himself as a midfield eight precisely because he thinks he can do the work of a six and a 10. "I enjoy picking up the ball from the center backs and taking it up the field and I can do the work of the deep midfield as well as a higher up midfielder, giving those passes."
The next step in his evolution is to add more telling passes like this ball for Samuel Lino and to be the player who can use his physical attributes to quell attacks at the other end. "I feel like I can do a bit of both."
Valencia have given him the platform to develop into that midfielder. But in full flow he looks just as much a product of the Arsenal Hale End academy that he joined at the age of nine. One of the jewels in the crown of his youth team, Musah was the subject of a summer transfer saga while he was still in his teens back in 2019. Juventus expressed an interest, the Gunners were keen to keep hold of a bright young thing but the clear pathway to first team football on offer at the Mestalla won the day.
Just over a year later he was making headlines around the world for his first goal in Valencia colors. England and the USA were falling over themselves to secure his international allegiances. You could hardly have blamed him if it all felt too much. Quite the opposite. "I always wanted it to happen, even sooner actually. I wanted to be a big player at young age and all that stuff [that comes with it]. So no, no it didn't feel feel rushed."
Shine at the World Cup and the whispers about a future transfer will develop into a chorus. Already a string of Europe's top clubs, a group believed to include Liverpool and Arsenal, are tracking his progress. Though. with a €100 million release clause in a contract that runs until 2026, Valencia are well placed to rebuff any interest.
As to whether he may one day be inclined to go back to where it all began, Musah said: "You never know. I had a great time at Arsenal developing there, I still have friends there, the coaches were great, being an Arsenal player in general is great. I loved playing for Arsenal. I've nothing against the club and if one day it turns out to be that it's time to go back then it's possible.
"For now I'm really happy at Valencia and I'm looking forward to carrying this season on in the same way we're doing now."
You can easily see why he would not be keen to swerve off the path he finds himself on now. A burgeoning role at Valencia, the potential to star at the World Cup: the big moment is here at last for Musah.
