Bayern Munich’s latest academy prodigy, Lennart Karl, is not just raising eyebrows in Munich.
After scoring his debut Bundesliga and Champions League goals in October, in what is proving to be a breakout season for the 17-year-old, the world is beginning to recognize Karl’s potential for superstar status. While the Frammersbach-born attacker is enjoying a season of grand of stature, at 5 feet 7 inches (1.69m) it would be difficult to argue that Karl himself is grand in stature.
Bayern Munich head coach
Vincent Kompany recently addressed Karl’s height, and explained how it could be a massive advantage.
“Shorter players often have a lot of power in their turns. It’s tough for a defender to get close. They don’t need a lot of space to cause danger. The key thing is how quickly they can get a shot away,” explained the Belgian manager before admitting not knowing whether it was necessarily down to size. “I don’t know if it’s about size, but Lenni is able to get shots away quickly. Every good player in the Champions League is able to shoot half a second quicker than the others. I believe that makes the difference, not body size.”
Short or tall, it makes no difference to the spectacular season Karl is having. Despite his stature and young age, he has taken to the physicality of the Bundesliga like a duck to water. The German talent will only grow in physicality.
