Ex-coach reveals: Lennart Karl almost ended up at another club | OneFootball

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

photo: Getty Images

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.