‘Reality is harsh’ – Bayern Munich have pride stung as wonderkid makes Real Madrid plea

Bayern Munich wonderkid Lennart Karl has been defended for revealing he ‘definitely’ wants to play for Real Madrid at some point.

The 17-year-old only made his debut for the Bundesliga champions in August but has already made history with his form this season.

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The club’s academy graduate is the youngest player in history to score in each of his first two starts in the Champions League.

In doing so, Karl also became Bayern’s youngest ever goalscorer in the competition, while he additionally holds the title of their youngest player to score and assist in a Bundesliga game.

However, the teenager caused a stir at a Die Roten supporters group event when he called European rivals Real Madrid his dream club.

Lennart Karl shares Real Madrid dream

“FC Bayern is a very big club. It’s a dream to play there. But at some point, I definitely want to go to Real Madrid,” Karl said.

“That [Madrid] is my dream club, but let’s keep that between us.”

His public plea has not gone down well at Bayern, with Karl turning off his Instagram comments as a result of the heated reaction.

European superstars are no strangers to moving between Bavaria and Madrid, from Arjen Robben to Xabi Alonso and David Alaba.

However, Bayern academy star Toni Kroos was infamously booed upon his return to the Allianz Arena with Los Blancos in April 2024.

European football expert Andy Brassell has said Vincent Kompany‘s side are particularly sensitive around the subject at the moment.

On Karl’s comments, he told talkSPORT.com: “I guess his emergence has been so sudden, they just haven’t been able to do that much media training for him.

“Because it’s something that a 17-year-old would say, isn’t it? I’d really like to play for Real Madrid at some point. Sure, wouldn’t we all?

“I guess there are two ways of looking at it. One is, that’s really cocky to come out and say that.

But two, I think the way in which it was meant is actually quite sweet and wholesome.

“Someone who is out there making his dreams happen. But until very recently, they were dreams. They were pie in the sky.

“He’s come such a way in such a short time.”

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Karl defended for Real Madrid comments

Bayern legend Lothar Matthaus was one of the few who have surprisingly defended the teen and instead praised his ambition.

Brassell agreed, adding: “I don’t get the impression that he’s saying, ‘Right, well, I’ll just play a few more games for Bayern, which is great, and then I’ll leave next year.’ I don’t get that impression at all.

“He knows that at least his medium-term future belongs to Bayern.
Obviously, he’s fine with that.

“He’s out there at 17 years old making amazing things happen. But I think in the past, for players to have said, Real Madrid’s my dream one day, I don’t think people would have batted an eyelid.

“Nowadays, of course, it feels like everything is a possible transfer reveal.

“Even a 17-year-old speaking quite innocently, quite candidly about his dreams, and that’s all it is, a dream, it’s got to be taken as it was meant, in that everyone dreams of playing for Real Madrid one day.”

‘Bayern are particularly sensitive at the moment’

“I think if a less capable player had said that at a different stage of their career, it wouldn’t have been a big deal at all,” he continued.

“I guess as well, the other thing is that Bayern are particularly sensitive at the moment.

“Given that they’ve missed out on a couple of really big targets going back the last little while, so you look at Florian Wirtz, who they thought they had, Nick Woltemade, who they thought they had, it’s a little bit stinging to their pride.

“Bayern know they’re an enormous club, and they know they’re one of the best teams in Europe, and they know they’re capable of winning the Champions League as well as the Bundesliga this season.

“But out there in the transfer market, at the absolute elite level, reality is harsh.

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“The fact is, they’ve been shown in the last little while, their true standing, in the way of things at the moment in European football.

“Maybe in terms of transfers, it’s not at that absolute elite level.

“You can understand why certain Bayern and Bayern-affiliated people might be a little bit stunned by the words of Karl, even if they are just the words of a 17-year-old spitballing.”