Lennart Karl has caused a stir with a public declaration of love for Real Madrid. Now a German club icon of the royals is reacting and taking the Bayern jewel to task.
During a fan club visit in his home country, the 17-year-old declared: „FC Bayern is a very big club. It’s a dream to play there. But I definitely want to go to Real Madrid one day. That’s my dream club.“ The statement quickly went viral and has now also attracted the attention of a Real legend: Uli Stielike expressed his criticism of Karl’s words to Bild.
„I think the comments are detrimental to the boy, because he’s not making any friends at Bayern, neither at the club nor with the supporters,“ said the former world-class midfielder. Stielike played for Real Madrid between 1977 and 1985 and won three league titles with the Spanish club.
He advises the young player to be patient: „I also think he should first mature into a regular player over a longer period of time and make the leap into the national team. So he still has a long way to go.“
Fan frustration and prominent dissenting voices
The reaction among Bayern supporters was vehement in some cases, with many venting their anger in online forums and on social media. „He can still leave the club today. There’s no room for traitors in Munich,“ wrote one user. Others were disappointed: „He hasn’t done himself any favours now. But it’s good to know. I wouldn’t buy his jersey again!“ Karl’s age was also mentioned several times. Not as an excuse, but as a warning: „You just notice his age with something like that. A statement like that isn’t particularly clever and can cost a lot of sympathy.“
At the same time, there was also approval for the talent’s open communication. Bernd Schuster, who wore the Real jersey between 1988 and 1990, praised him to Bild: „I think it’s great that Lennart Karl has expressed this so clearly. You should pursue your dreams – even as a footballer. That’s a good sign, because it shows that you want to go all the way to the top of the world. It’s not yet clear where that will lead in the end.“
Former international goalkeeper Bodo Illgner, who played for Real between 1996 and 2001, recalled how important the right moment is for such a switch. „I was 29 years old when I moved from Cologne to Real. It was the ideal time for me, firstly in terms of my maturity and experience, and secondly because of the situation at Real at the time. That is always crucial for such a switch,“ explained the two-time Champions League winner.
Illgner emphasized: „It’s less about age, as we saw with Jude Bellingham, for example, who came there at a very young age. It’s much more about the circumstances. If the position is right, it’s needed and you also have the support of the coach, those are very important factors.“