„100 percent convinced“: Ballack trusts Bayern jewel Karl to take part in the World Cup | OneFootball

Lennart Karl has been one of the biggest surprises at FC Bayern this season. The 18-year-old has come to the fore with strong performances – not only in Munich, but also with the German national team. One person who is particularly impressed by Karl is DFB legend Michael Ballack

The former captain of the German national team now looks after the Bayern talent as a consultant and even sees the attacking player as a potential candidate for the World Cup

In an interview with Sky, Ballack spoke about the development of the young Bayern star and expressed his enthusiasm. „I’m naturally biased in that respect because I’ve been looking after him for some time now. And you become a fan of a player when you have to deal with someone on a daily basis,“ explained the 49-year-old

Despite this closeness, Ballack left no doubt as to how high he rates Karl’s potential: „I am someone who is 100 percent convinced of him.“

World Cup candidate through Bayern role

The former DFB captain is particularly impressed by the attacking player’s rapid development in recent months: „He has made an incredible development in the last six months, adapted incredibly quickly and made a name for himself at the very highest level – with top performances,“ emphasized Ballack

Karl has been one of the big winners at FC Bayern this season, with the youngster already making 30 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing three assists

For Ballack, it is precisely these performances that are a clear argument for at least including Karl in the discussion about the World Cup squad. „I believe that if you play this role at Bayern Munich, you are automatically a candidate,“ explained the former international

However, it remains to be seen whether national coach Julian Nagelsmann will actually consider the youngster for the World Cup

„The decision is up to Nagelsmann“

photo: IMAGO

Ballack emphasized that ultimately only the national coach would decide on a possible nomination. „Whether that is ultimately already an issue for a national coach now, he has to decide,“ said the former DFB captain

At the same time, he emphasized once again what makes Karl special in his opinion: „I think Lennart is a special player who brings something to the table that not many people have.“

It remains to be seen whether Karl will actually go to the World Cup at the age of 18, but one thing is clear: Nagelsmann recently emphasized that Karl is a „very interesting“ player who is definitely on his radar for the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada.