After „dribbling fail“: Why Matthäus compares Lennart Karl to Messi | OneFootball

The furore surrounding Lennart Karl’s failed dribbling attempt in FC Bayern’s 5-1 win over TSG Hoffenheim has received prominent support. In his Sky column, Lothar Matthäus has clearly taken the side of the 17-year-old Bayern talent – and found clear words

„The boy is 17 years old, he loves playing soccer and sometimes makes his opponents look bad,“ wrote the record-breaking German international. The fact that not every move is successful is not only normal, but necessary, he added. „Sometimes it’s one trick too many, but we all want to see things like that.“

Matthäus urges calmness

The background is well known: after coming on as a substitute, Lennart Karl attempted several crosses on the right wing, lost control of the ball and dribbled the ball out of bounds. The scene went viral on social media, with Karl receiving some mocking and some derisive comments. For Matthäus, this was completely out of line

„We are happy when someone works their magic and wants to copy the tricks of the superstars,“ the 63-year-old made clear. Young players in particular must have the courage to try things out – even at the risk of things going wrong. Those who publicly punish this courage end up damaging soccer itself

Comparison with Messi: „Let the boys entertain us“

photo: IMAGO

Matthäus was particularly clear with a comparison that sticks. „Not everything worked out for Messi when he was 17 either,“ he recalled. The future world star also made mistakes, lost actions and made decisions that nobody talks about today. Development takes time – and mistakes are part of it

The Sky expert put it in a nutshell: „Let the lads entertain us, even if you sometimes feel a bit of a joke as an opponent.“ Football thrives on creativity, on surprise, on risk – not on fear of the next clip on social media

Karl’s action had no sporting significance whatsoever. FC Bayern dominated Hoffenheim after the early sending-off and sent out a clear signal with the 5:1 win after two winless league games recently. The fact that a 17-year-old’s overlap of all things became the topic of conversation therefore says less about the player than about the expectations in modern professional soccer

Matthäus‘ message is clear: if you want talent, you also have to put up with their mistakes.