This past weekend, Bayern Munich’s rising star Lennart Karl created quite a stir by expressing his desire to play for Real Madrid in the future.
“Bayern is a very, very big club. It’s a dream to play there. But at some point, I definitely want to go to Real Madrid,” he stated.
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“That’s my dream club. Of course, Bayern is something very special, and it’s a lot of fun at the club,” the talented teenager added.
Unsurprisingly, these remarks did not sit well with Bayern Munich management, leading to some backlash against the young player for his candid aspirations.
Response from Bayern Director
Bayern Munich’s sporting director Christoph Freund has since addressed the issue, clarifying that Karl had communicated an apology to the team following his comments.
“Lennart wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s not afraid of anything, even on the pitch with us. That’s how he plays football. It was unfortunate, and he realized that immediately,” Freund remarked, as reported by Florian Plettenberg.
Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl. (Photo by Jasmin Walter/Getty Images)
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“He also apologized for it. We spoke about it. He came to us and said it wasn’t meant that way at all.”
Freund explained that the young talent once had a trial at Real Madrid and expressed that it was his dream back then, but reassured fans that he is currently happy and fully committed to Bayern.
“He feels extremely comfortable at FC Bayern. […] As a child, he once trained with Real Madrid – that was his dream club back then. But he’s very happy at FC Bayern, and we are very happy that he’s with us,” Freund concluded.
Following the uproar, Karl shone on the pitch, netting two goals in Bayern Munich’s 5-0 win against RB Salzburg in a friendly match.
At just 17, Karl has already made 22 senior appearances for Bayern, scoring six goals and providing two assists.