After the next gala performance
World Cup chances? Bayern talent expresses itself
November 22, 2025 – 7:31 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Into the senior national team? All doors are slowly opening for Bayern youngster Lennart Karl – perhaps including those for the World Cup.
After the clear win against Freiburg, Bayern talent Lennart Karl publicly commented on a possible World Cup appearance for the first time. The 17-year-old remains modest – but still looks forward to the coming summer with hope.
“I’m just trying to give it my all,” said Karl on DAZN after the 6:2 (2:2) against SC Freiburg. He knows that he can’t count on being nominated: “I’m not actually focusing on the tournament right now.” Nevertheless, he wants to give everything – “then I have to see what Julian (national coach Nagelsmann, editor’s note) does. So I hope it works.”
The offensive player played for the DFB U21s for the first time in mid-November. In qualifying for the World Cup, national coach Julian Nagelsmann did without Karl in the senior national team. If the World Cup doesn’t work out, it won’t be a setback. “Then it has to keep going,” said Karl: “Or it will just be the U21 again like last time.”
After the game, Karl was happy about the positive response to his achievements. “I hope I inspire everyone. It makes me happy when everyone speaks well of me,” he said on Sky. Against Freiburg he scored one goal himself and prepared one. His approach? “I just have a lot of confidence. I’m not afraid of my opponents.”
Karl also receives a lot of support from his trainer Vincent Kompany. He gave him clear messages: “If I keep training like this, it can of course become big,” says Karl. But if he slacks off in training, “then of course he won’t give me any more missions. So always give it full throttle – and then everything will be okay.”
Karl also has an idol – and that is none other than Lionel Messi. “Of course you can compare me with Messi, a lot of people say that,” he said, but at the same time emphasized: “I wouldn’t say that I’m being compared with Messi, because of course Messi is at the very top, I still have a long way to go.”
The next big game for Bayern is on Wednesday (from 9 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online): the Champions League duel against leaders FC Arsenal. It was initially unclear whether Karl would be able to take part again. He grabbed his hip in the 71st minute against Freiburg and had to be substituted, but later gave the all-clear: “Everything’s fine,” he said.