Speaking to the media after the 2-2 draw to Mainz, Bayern Munich vice-captain Joshua Kimmich doubled down on his assertion that Lennart Karl is ready to be called up to the national team. Pressure is now
mounting on Julian Nagelsmann to give the 17-year-old a callup and take him to the World Cup in 2026.
“It’s simply the truth,” Kimmich said when asked about Karl (via Sport1, translation by @iMiaSanMia). “If someone plays regularly for Bayern and consistently delivers good performances and is German, he belongs in the German national team in the long run — if he can confirm that over weeks and months.”
Karl once again scored alongside Harry Kane to earn Bayern Munich a difficult (and unexpected) 2-2 draw against bottom placed Mainz. He has scored 6 goals and registered 2 assists already this season, at a rate of 0.81 G+A per 90 minutes.
Joshua Kimmich believes that simply putting up these numbers at Bayern Munich is enough to earn a callup. To be honest, it’s hard to argue otherwise. Yes, Karl is surrounded by some of the best players in the world — but he does not look like the odd man out when he sees game time. In fact, he often outshines his peers, which says a lot by itself.
“If you perform consistently at Bayern, then you belong in the national team,” Joshua Kimmich concluded. As captain of Germany, his words carry weight. Julian Nagelsmann can often be stubborn when it comes to callups — will he listen?
