Lennart Karl, a youngster at Bayern Munich, has apologized to club executives after causing a stir with remarks regarding his desire to sign for Real Madrid.
The 17-year-old winger had to defend his position after calling the Spanish powerhouses his “dream club” in an interview. However, he overcame the criticism on Tuesday by scoring twice in a commanding 5-0 friendly victory against Red Bull Salzburg.
In a swift attempt to protect his adolescent potential from more scrutiny, Bayern Munich sports director Christoph Freund said that Karl immediately apologized for his recent media transgression.
When the young player publicly revealed his career plan last week, which included leaving the Allianz Arena before he had properly established himself in the first team, it caused a stir among the fan base.
Freund, however, maintained that the remarks had nothing to do with a lack of dedication to the Bundesliga leaders, but rather were the product of adolescent naivete. The sports director revealed that the problem had been fixed internally after speaking with the player during the team’s midseason friendly in Austria.
“I think that’s just Lenny. Anyone who knows Lenny knows that. That’s how he plays football too,” Freund told reporters. “He ‘wears his heart on his sleeve’, he ‘doesn’t give a damn’, as we say around here – even on the pitch. He talks like a 17-year-old boy. He was immediately aware that it was unfortunate. He apologised the next day, and we talked about it.”
Freund attributed the statements to a boyhood affection for the Spanish team rather than an intentional desire to leave, emphasizing that the club is thrilled with the winger’s growth and his present satisfaction in Munich.
“He said: ‘That’s not what I meant at all’ – He feels extremely comfortable at FC Bayern,” Freund continued. “He’s really enjoying this time. As a kid, he had a trial with Real Madrid – that was his dream club. He was asked who his dream club was besides FC Bayern. He is 17 years old and very happy at FC Bayern. And we are very happy that he is with us.”
The story started last week when Karl, who is regarded as one of the best players in German football, spoke openly about his long-term goals in an interview. The striker outlined a certain trajectory that alarmed some supporters, even if he was only beginning his professional career.
“FC Bayern is a very big club. It’s a dream to play there,” Karl had said. “But at some point, I definitely want to go to Real Madrid. That’s my dream club, but that stays between us. Of course, Bayern is something very special and it’s a lot of fun.”
