Lennart Karl is currently one of the biggest winners of the season at FC Bayern, but the career of the attacking gem almost took a completely different course
The 18-year-old played his way straight into the public eye in his first professional season with the record champions – and even made it into the German national team’s World Cup squad
According to former coach Markus Fiedler, Karl was on the verge of joining VfB Stuttgart
In an interview with the Münchner Merkur newspaper, the former VfB youth coach revealed some fascinating background information: „He already had one foot in my U17 team at VfB,“ explained Fiedler
The current coach of 1. FC Magdeburg revealed that Stuttgart had lobbied hard for Karl when he was still playing in Aschaffenburg. „There were good talks, but he then decided to go to FC Bayern. What a shame!“ Fiedler continued
Particularly noteworthy: According to the coach, even Karl’s parents were convinced of a move to Stuttgart
Bayern fan since childhood
In the end, it was obviously the emotional bond that tipped the scales. „The boy has been a Bayern fan since childhood, he slept in Bayern bedding,“ reported Fiedler
It was therefore almost impossible to convince Karl to take a different path. The attacking player ultimately opted for the German record champions – a decision that has since more than paid off
It is also interesting to note that VfB and Fiedler apparently tried to sign Karl again later on
After Fiedler moved to Magdeburg last summer, the second-division club looked closely at the possibility of loaning the Bayern talent
„We all knew about his talent and thought before his Bayern breakthrough that a loan might be an option for his first steps as a professional,“ explained Fiedler
But after Karl’s breakthrough in Munich at the latest, this issue was finally settled
Karl about to take the next big step
The youngster is now regarded as one of the biggest talents in German soccer. With his pace, technique and carefree attitude, Karl quickly came to the fore under Vincent Kompany
According to media reports, he is also about to take part in his first World Cup with Germany
For VfB Stuttgart, all that remains is the realization that they had the right instinct – but that it is often difficult to compete against FC Bayern, even with the greatest talents.