Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl might just be 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) in height, but it doesn't look like that's gonna be stopping him in any way from being the next big thing in football from Germany. Karl operates as a left-footed attacking midfielder, usually in the number 10 position behind the striker. His main strengths are his long range shooting ability and footballing iq. In fact, his playing style has already been compared with German legends such as Thomas Müller, Mesut Özil and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Let us now look back at how his career began, and also how recently made history in the Champions League.
Lennart Karl - Bayern's very own prodigy
It was in 2015 that Karl joined the academy of German club Viktoria Aschaffenburg. 2 years later, he made his next switch to Eintracht Frankfurt. This was followed by a return to Viktoria Aschaffenburg 5 years later in 2022. It was during this time that Karl caught the attention of Bayern Munich, and he eventually joined their academy the summer of that very year.
The 2024-25 season saw Karl starting with the U17 Nachwuchsliga Group F for Bayern Munich. He went on to make a huge impact, recording 17 goals and 8 assists in just 9 appearances. Later in October 2024, it was reported that the likes of Real Madrid and Ajax were interested in signing him. However, Bayern were adamant on keeping him. Karl went on to represent both the under-17 and under-19 squads of Bayern during the 2024–25 season, still just aged 16.
April 4, 2025 was a memorable one for his career, as Karl received his first call-up with the senior team of Bayern Munich. The league game ended in a 3–1 away victory for the Bavarians against FC Augsburg. As for Karl, he was an unused substitute for that game. 2 months later, on 15th June, Karl made his professional debut for Bayern in the FIFA Club World Cup, as the German side destroyed Auckland City 10-0. Karl was then called up by Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany for their 2025 pre-season matches. Later on 8th August, he extended contract with the club and chose to wear the shirt number 42, which was previously worn by Jamal Musiala.
Bayern's new record breaking talent
The German attacking midfielder later went on to score his first professional goal for the club on October 22nd against Club Brugge in the Champions League. The final scoreline was a 4-0 victory for Bayern, and Karl also had his name in the history books as he became the club's youngest-ever scorer in the competition at 17 years and 242 days old. Thus, he broke the previous record held by his teammate Jamal Musiala. Just 3 days later, Karl scored his first ever Bundesliga goal for the club in a 3-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach. On 22nd November, Karl made more history with a goal and assist in Bayern's 6–2 victory over SC Freiburg, as he became the youngest player to achieve this feat.
Karl recently broke another record as well, when Bayern faced Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on 9th December. His goal in that fixture made him the youngest player ever to score in three consecutive Champions League matches. The future looks bright for Karl, and it looks increasingly likely that the 17 year old could force himself into Germany's 2026 FIFA World Cup side if he keeps performing at this rate.
