Lennart Karl credits Vincent Kompany for key improvement to his game

Lennart Karl rose quickly through the Bayern Munich academy ranks with his electric scoring, dropping 34 goals in the 2024/25 campaign between the U17 and U19 squads. He debuted for the senior team in June at the Club World Cup, made his first start in August during the DFB-Pokal Round of 64, scored his first goal in October against Club Brugge in the Champions League, and earned his first international cap for Germany three months ago.

If it weren’t for a fluke injury in training, Karl would likely have started against Curaçao in the World Cup opener only a year after making that Bayern debut.

How has the 18-year old winger adapted so quickly to the professional level?

“My game has definitely become more mature and more grown-up,” Karl told Säbener 51 (via @iMiaSanMia). “I’ve improved defensively in particular. In the youth teams, I didn’t like running back. I scored a lot of goals, which was my bonus. But in professional football, the opposition punishes you immediately if you don’t contribute. I learned that quickly. [Vincent Kompany] gives me a lot of freedom. Against Hoffenheim, I once failed to pull off a stepover, and that immediately drew a bit of mockery on social media. But that didn’t bother me much, and I went on to perform well straight after. It’s good when the coach says that attacking players should show their style and try things out.”

Karl finished his rookie season with nine goals, eight assists, and 25 starts over 2,059 minutes. While he is unlikely to overtake Ballon d’Or candidate Michael Olise as Bayern’s starting right winger, he has clearly earned the support of the manager and his teammates.

Sign up for a user account and get: