Lennart Karl

2015–2022: Early years

Karl joined the academy of Viktoria Aschaffenburg in 2015, and he moved to the academy of Eintracht Frankfurt in 2017. In June 2018, at 10 years of age, Karl took part at a scouting tournament in Aschaffenburg, progressing to the next round and being invited to audition in the Bernabéu by Real Madrid. However, his family prevented a move as they felt that it wasn't really about their son at all – but rather about negotiating contracts for large football agencies. In 2022, Frankfurt wanted to extend Karl's academy contract, but since Bayern Munich showed strong interest, Karl expressed his willingness to join Bayern's academy in the summer, which led to his exemption at Frankfurt at the beginning of the year. Bridging his time until summer, he immediately rejoined Viktoria Aschaffenburg for the remainder of the season, before he joined Bayern Munich's academy.

2022–2025: Bayern academy

During the 2024–25 season he started with the U17 Nachwuchsliga Group F for Bayern Munich with 17 goals and 8 assists in just 9 appearances. In October 2024 top-flight clubs, like Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and Dutch Eredivisie club Ajax, showed interest in recruiting him. At only 16 years of age, Karl already represented both the under-17 and under-19 squads during the 2024–25 season, featuring at the UEFA Youth League.

2025: First team debut

On 4 April 2025, he received his first call-up to the senior team of Bayern Munich, for a 3–1…

Karl has represented the Germany national U15, U16 and U17, for whom he featured in the 2025 Under-17 Euros, as well as the U21 team. For the latter, he gave his debut at the under-21 Euro qualifiers in November 2025, scoring a brace on his debut against Malta, thus becoming the second youngest goalscorer in German under-21 history behind Youssoufa Moukoko. Since it is not confirmed whether Moukoko's age is real or not, the possibility for Karl to be the youngest goalscorer yet remains. On 19 March 2026, Karl received his first senior Germany national team call-up by head coach Julian Nagelsmann, for the pre-World Cup friendlies against Switzerland and Ghana. He would make his debut against the former eight days later in a 4–3 away victory. On 21 May, he was called up to Germany's final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He registered his first goal contribution on 31 May in a 4–0 victory over Finland, by assisting Deniz Undav. However, a muscle bundle tear in his left thigh sustained during training ruled Karl out of the World Cup, with Assan Ouédraogo called up as his replacement.

Karl is a left-footed attacking midfielder, acting as a number 10, sitting behind the striker and dictating play in the final third. With his intelligence on the ball and considerable goal contributions he has drawn comparisons with Thomas Müller, Mesut Özil and Bastian Schweinsteiger. He's also used as a winger, predominantly on the right side, often switching positions with fellow attacking midfielders mid-play. His cutting inside from the right wing, left-footed long-range goal scoring ability as well as dribbling has also, especially due to his short and slight physique, led to further comparisons with club legends Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry, as well as comparisons to Lionel Messi.

Born in Frammersbach, Bavaria, Karl is the son of Steffen Aloe and Caroline Karl. His father is a football coach. His younger brother Vincent also plays football for Eintracht Frankfurt's youth academy. He is in a relationship with German model and TikTok influencer Zoe Käpelle. On 4 January 2026, at a Bayern Munich fan event, Karl, after being asked his dream club by a young Bayern supporter, stated that he dreams of playing for LaLiga club Real Madrid, causing a large amount of backlash from Bayern Fans.Karl was quick to apologise to club officials for his words. Shortly after, in an interview, Bayern manager Vincent Kompany described the incident as ‘an error’, saying that he will only have a problem with Karl if he ‘doesn’t give me 100%.’ Since the incident, Bayern fans have forgiven Karl for his words.