Karl goal adds to burgeoning reputation

In Wednesday’s 4-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Club Brugge, the 17-year-old attacking midfielder opened the scoring after just five minutes to become the youngest-ever German player to find the net in Europe’s premier club competition.

Less than 72 hours later, Karl became the third-youngest player to score a Bundesliga goal for the German champions – after Jamal Musiala and Mathys Tel – with a magnificent, curling strike into the top corner of Gladbach keeper Moritz Nicolas’ net.

Watch: Check out Karl's strike against Gladbach below

Not bad for a player who spent the morning of his man-of-the-match-winning display against Brugge in a school classroom.

According to Sky Germany, Karl was allowed to leave class early on Wednesday to prepare for the visit of Brugge, before making up for the lessons he missed with a tutor at Bayern’s Säbener Straße training complex.

These are clearly still very early days for the Frammersbach native, who was snapped up by Bayern in 2022 after being spotted playing for Eintracht Frankfurt’s academy.

Watch: Karl nets magnificent goal for Frankfurt’s youth team

Bayern boss Vincent Kompany has been doing his best to temper expectations on Karl’s young shoulders, while urging him to play “without any pressure” as he pursues a regular place in the Bavarians’ star-studded attack.

However, even the Belgian seemed surprised by the ease with which he took his 81st-minute strike at Borussia-Park on Matchday 8, breaking into a wide smile as he watched the teenager make his way back to the centre circle after celebrating the goal.

It could have been more, too. Despite being on the pitch for a little over 15 minutes, no player managed more efforts on target than Karl, who tested Nicolas again with a flicked header five minutes from time.

“He has scored two goals in a row and is in good form,” Kompany conceded after Saturday’s victory. “But when expectations are high – which is normal at a club like Bayern – the secret is to be calm and keep working.

“When there is criticism, you have to keep doing the same thing. If he does that, everything will be fine for Lenny.”

Karl is not short of role models, of course. When he isn’t training alongside Harry Kane, Luis Díaz and Co., the teenager has been working with agent and former Bayern, Chelsea and Germany midfielder Michael Ballack on improving the defensive side of his game.

“We communicate regularly, whether in person or on the phone,” Karl said of his relationship with Ballack back in April. “Michael was a world-class player and a consummate professional, from whom I can learn a lot.

“He gives me valuable tips, such as telling me to stay true to my style of play and be authentic. But he also openly addresses where I need to improve.”

Karl’s mature displays have caught the eye of another club legend – former winger Arjen Robben, who famously scored Bayern’s winning goal in their 2013 Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund.

“Lennart Karl deserves the praise [he is getting],” he said after Wednesday’s victory over Brugge.

“He was superb. The most important thing at that age is to keep focusing on the next game. You have to work on yourself every day and not think: ‘I just played a great game, everything was wonderful’.

“That’s why the really good players stay at the top for so long. Getting to that point is one thing, but staying at the top is something else.”

He may have some way to go before he is mentioned in the same breath as Bayern’s ‘Flying Dutchman’, but Karl – who will look to continue his scoring run against Cologne in the DFB Cup on Wednesday – is very much on the right track.