Bayern Munich’s roaring start to 2025-26; 13 straight wins that equal AC Milan’s long-standing European run, has a new subplot: a 17-year-old midfielder who has exploded from academy prospect to match‑winner in the space of weeks.
Lennart Karl’s rise has been meteoric.
The Germany youth international not only scored on his Champions League debut against Club Brugge to become Bayern’s youngest scorer in the competition, he followed that with a Bundesliga strike days later, announcing himself on Europe’s biggest stages with a confidence far beyond his years.
Karl arrived at Bayern’s academy as a 12-year-old after formative spells at Viktoria Aschaffenburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, rocketed through the age groups and was rewarded with a professional contract that binds him to the club into 2028, with clauses designed to keep his trajectory steady and domestic.
At roughly 5 ft 7 in, Karl is deceptively robust: a right‑side playmaker who drifts inside onto his favoured left foot, excelling between the lines with rapid ball progression, an explosive first step and a composure in the final third that has seen him rack up eye‑catching youth numbers and translate them quickly to senior minutes.
Bayern are managing expectations deliberately; coaches and Kompany himself stress patience as Karl builds physical resilience and defensive discipline, while his mentor network — including high‑profile advisors — helps temper hype with measured development so his raw flair can mature into a sustained elite career.
