Too much self-confidence? Youngster determined to make his mark at Bayern
To become a professional soccer player, you need to bring a few things to the table as a soccer player. For example, talent, ambition, but also a certain amount of self-confidence.
'I absolutely want to establish myself here at FC Bayern and one day play for the club in the Champions League,' Lennart Karl explained to 'Sport1' in April. Okay, that sounds extremely self-confident for a 17-year-old. Maybe too self-confident?
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Just a few days ago, the teenager collected his first professional minutes at FC Bayern Munich at the Club World Cup. The offensive player was substituted on at halftime in the 10-0 win over Auckland and received direct praise from his coach afterwards.
'He had good situations. It's good for him and for FC Bayern that he made his debut,' Kompany was satisfied with the performance of his youngster. Previously, Karl, who can be used flexibly in the offense, had already shone for the FCB youth team.
In the U17, he scored 27 goals and prepared eleven more. After his jump to the U19, he followed without major adaptation problems with seven goals in nine games. Sounds almost like a half striker, or?
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'Lennart himself defines Martin Ødegaard as his role model, I actually see parallels there. He also has a bit of Arjen Robben and Michael Olise, who like to pull into the middle and finish,' describes Bayern's sporting youth director, Markus Weinzierl, the 17-year-old's playing style. He even goes further.
In an interview with the 'Abendzeitung München', the former Bundesliga coach described Karl's professional debut as "unavoidable". His talent has not gone unnoticed by the DFB either. Since the U15, the Bayern jewel has been playing for Germany and recently outshone almost everyone in the U17.
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In his last three DFB games, he prepared three goals and scored twice himself. Okay, that sounds like the 17-year-old has a good reason to have a portion of self-confidence. And who knows - maybe the 1.68-meter-tall midfielder will make a name for himself again tonight against Boca Juniors (3:00 am). If he needs tips for his first professional goal, "El Capitano" can certainly help him.
Michael Ballack is Karl's advisor - and certainly has one or two tips ready for his protégé.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
📸 Carlos Rodrigues - 2025 Getty Images
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