It has been nothing short of an extraordinary 2025 for Lennart Karl.

By Zach Lowy

Born in Frammersbach, Germany, on February 22, 2008, Karl initially honed his skills with Viktoria Aschaffenburg and Eintracht Frankfurt before joining Bayern Munich in 2022. After scoring 34 goals and 11 assists in 30 appearances for Bayern’s U17s and U19s in 2024/25, Karl headed across the Atlantic for the Club World Cup and made his professional debut in a 10-0 win vs. Auckland City on June 15 in Cincinnati, laying the foundations for a breakthrough 2025/26 season.

Despite parting ways with three pivotal attacking figures (Thomas Müller, Leroy Sané, and Kingsley Coman), despite losing creative maestro Jamal Musiala to a gruesome broken leg injury in the Club World Cup, and despite banking €60m in transfer revenue from the sales of Mathys Tel, Paul Wanner, and Coman, Bayern completed just two attacking signings in the summer transfer window: Luís Diaz and Nicolas Jackson. Rather than splash the cash on an expensive forward, Bayern took a chance on Karl becoming the new signing that they so desperately needed. Four months after signing him to a contract through 2028, it’s evident that this gamble has paid off.

After a memorable September that saw him make his UEFA Champions League debut and register his maiden Bundesliga assist, Karl took things up a notch in October by leapfrogging Jamal Musiala as Bayern’s youngest-ever goalscorer in the Champions League in a 4-0 win vs. Club Brugge. Three days later, Karl opened his Bundesliga goal-scoring account after taking aim from outside the penalty arc and launching a firecracker into the top corner, putting the finishing touches on a 3-0 win at Gladbach. In doing so, he became one of the only players in Bundesliga history to win the Bundesliga Goal of the Month with his first-ever professional league goal.

Wearing the No. 42 once used by Musiala, Karl has taken advantage of Musiala’s lengthy convalescence to consolidate his presence in Die Rekordmeister’s attacking unit. Whether it’s timing his last-man run to perfection and getting on the end of a cutback, or connecting midfield and attack with a seamless one-two combination, or carving out a chance with a piercing through ball, his dynamic skillset has fit like a glove in Vincent Kompany’s high-intensity style of play. It’s why, even as Musiala edges closer to full fitness, Karl looks set to remain a pivotal figure in Bayern’s attacking set-up.

Operating as a right winger or as a central attacking midfielder, Karl thrives at receiving on the half-turn, opening up his body before leaving his man in his dust with an explosive first touch and a cunning drop of the shoulder. It’s in these high-pressure scenarios where Karl can bring his futsal background to the fore by deftly switching feet and swerving in and out of lines, taking neat, controlled touches at a high velocity and steering clear of opposing tackles. At 5’6,” Karl is as slippery as an eel, and his low centre of gravity and audacious dribbling skills have enabled him to bamboozle opponents and accelerate into the final third, where he can make the most of his main asset: his world-class left foot finishing.

“Karl has managed to transfer the game that made him stand out in Bayern’s youth teams to the men’s game. He’s been a difference maker in recent games, and what sets him apart from the rest is his drive toward the goal and his ability to finish with his left foot,” stated Bayern fan @Spielertrainer_. “He’s always demanding the ball and rarely makes mistakes with it, he’s fearless under pressure, and he knows when to pass and when to dribble. Karl needs to work on his physique a little and make sure he keeps both feet on the ground, but overall, he’s the most talented German player in his age group. Even among players who are older than him, there are few who can hold a candle to him.”

Despite competing with various established superstars like Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry, and Díaz, Karl has emerged as a regular in attack and helped the Bavarians cope with their attacking shortfall and build a seemingly insurmountable lead in the Bundesliga. The Bavarians surpassed AC Milan’s 1992/93 team for the best-ever start to the campaign in Europe’s top five leagues with 16 wins on the bounce before drawing at Union Berlin, and they sit eight points clear atop the Bundesliga table and third in the Champions League table. Karl has proven crucial in more ways than one, leading Bayern’s squad for shots per 90 (4.5) and successful dribbles per 90 (2.5) in the Bundesliga, and establishing himself as a regular difference maker in the final third in recent weeks.

After bagging three goals in two matches for Germany’s U-21s and a goal and an assist in a 6-2 thrashing of Freiburg, Karl became the youngest player to score in his first two Champions League starts in a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal on November 26, before starting in back-to-back wins vs. St. Pauli and Union Berlin. Karl looks set to start in his fifth consecutive match for Bayern on Saturday in Stuttgart, where he made his domestic debut for Bayern and won his maiden senior trophy in the DFL-Super Cup just four months ago.

17 years after Thomas Müller burst onto the scene, Bayern finally have another academy graduate who is capable of cementing his name into club lore alongside other homegrown legends like Philipp Lahm, Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, and Bastian Schweinsteiger. It took Müller two years to go from making his professional debut to excelling for Die Mannschaft in the world’s biggest sporting competition, whilst it took Michael Ballack – Karl’s agent and mentor – seven years. But as for Karl, he might need just one year to go from the U17 Nachwuchsliga to the FIFA World Cup.

If Karl can continue his meteoric progression in Bavaria, then Julian Nagelsmann may have no other choice but to call him up for next summer’s tournament in North America.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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