German football has the word Traumtor, which literally means dream goal, but closer to an unprecedentedly unique goal. However, this does not seem to be enough to describe Lennart Karl... Karl, 17, became the youngest player in Bayern Munich's history to score in the Champions League last Wednesday, in the match against Club Brugge. At the weekend, he continued to impress when he ended the 3-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach with a beautiful curling shot. It is not a coincidence. That is the signal of a player who knows what he wants and dares to show it.
A strange model
If Karl is placed next to other wonderkids in Europe, a strange model could be encountered. Not a massive, Latin-American body model, nor is it completely technically as smooth as some Spanish midfielders. Karl is a combination of Portuguese technical instinct, German visual art and a bit of a profession of Sc Scandinavia. Karl has the classic model of a small but extremely sophisticated midfielder. He can swerve between defenders like a slide on the ice, and his left foot is really dead. More importantly, Karl plays football with a rare optimistic and open-minded spirit, seemingly not afraid when having the ball in his feet, making the audience laugh with delight every time they watch.
Is Bayern possessing a real gem or just nurturing a flash of fire?
The name Karl has actually been mentioned for quite a while. He made a big splash at Bayern's youth academy, to the point that every time he was called up to the first team last season, social networks were bustling even though he had never played. Karl made his first-team debut in the second half of the 10-0 win over Auckland City at the FIFA Club World Cup, and made his Bundesliga debut against Hoffenheim more than a month ago. Since then, the fever named Karl has continued to spread. Just look at the excited reaction of coach Vincent Kompany, the coaching staff and the substitutes after the goal against Gladbach is enough to understand how much Bayern rated him as a player.
Ironically, it was not the first time Karl scored against Gladbach that caught the world's attention.
Karl was born in a small town in northwestern Bavaria, closer to Frankfurt than Munich. He joined Eintracht Frankfurt as a child, and became famous online in 2018 when he scored a breathtaking goal in the home match between the Frankfurt U11 team and the Leicester U11 team. That goal was later voted goal of the Year at the Frankfurt Academy.
Karl has been with Frankfurt for 4 years - his younger brother is still there - before being convinced by Bayern to leave. Andreas Moller, a former German midfielder and director of the Frankfurt Academy from 2019 to 2022, has not yet regretted: We have done everything we can to keep him. But Bayern's appeal is special. At that time, Bayern was not allowed to "ta role" in such a young talent, but they still did, and we could not stop it."
Karl's rise was as expected. Although he has only started one Bundesliga match, usually only entering the field when Bayern are sure to win, the German press has begun to dream of the day he will wear the national team jersey. Bild even painted a depiction of Karl playing with Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala in coach Julian Nagelsmann's attack.
Turning prejudice into advantage
The most noticeable characteristic of Karl is his body and movement. When mentioning young players, it is often the default of "fast, mobile, easy to get past but also easily crushed when competing". Karl turned this prejudice into an advantage. His modest height helps him focus low, change direction immediately, Karl's 1v1 moves are a chain of actions: Cheating, pushing, and finishing - at the same time he knows how to choose the time to finish instead of just trying to get past him.
Second, as a left-footed player, Karl did not use him simply. His left foot has 2 "tingles": One is to shoot from the outside or edge of the penalty area, with enough force and trajectory to bring the ball into the corner; the other is to handle the ball at high speed and then place the heart accurately at the final touch.
Third, the personality on the field, confident but not complacent. Karl had a bad U16 season, and it was that experience that taught him how to work quietly. Instead of "quartering" in the media, Karl chose to practice more physical fitness, work with personal coaches, and listen to his predecessors. Kompany clearly encouraged him to play without pressure; the coaching staff handled Karl with a balance between defense and challenge, putting him on the field when the match was safe, but did not hide the fact that he put him in decisive situations. It is a smart method, when not pushing too early, not delaying the opportunity.
However, Karl is not lacking in weaknesses. Physical strength, collisions, defensive ability and tactical experience in the first team are aspects that need to be trained. In large playgrounds, if core strength, upper body strength and collision resistance are not increased, the risk of subsidence is real. That is the reason why at Bayern, Karl's job is not only professional, but also physical development. In this point, Bayern did too well to turn Karl into a complete player.
Humility and expectation
Another point that the international press mentioned was the attitude. Karl was hungry, but could not show it by demanding a place. Building a foundation, in a fiercely competitive environment like Bayern, that attitude and plan is gold. Stars who explode quickly but lack a foundation often slip off track, patient people often persevere. Put Karl in the context of Bayern history, where many young talents were nurtured into big stars, then the opportunity is real.
tactically, Karl is best suited to the model of allowing free attack - playing as a left-sided number 10, or running on the wing and xam luoc. Bayern at the moment need more flexible pieces, and Karl can fill that position. However, he needs to learn to contribute when he does not have the ball: Pressing has goals, covering gaps and supporting the defense.
Lamine Yamal - the Spanish talent soon reached his peak of glory, but after 1 year, he is showing problems with personality and ability to deal with people. That is a lesson for Karl to maintain identity, learn how to deal with noise. The international press has compared, placed expectations, and fans have dreamed. But all rushes have to pay.
Karl is a diamond being polished, when it is bright, it is easy to remember, but to keep that light, you must be patient, work hard and be guided properly. With all the preparation Bayern can bring, Karl will not only create "traumtor" moments but also write a long successful career.
