“It didn’t bother me much” – Karl on social media mockery after stepover mishap against Hoffenheim | OneFootball

Lennart Karl became the subject of social media mockery after a failed piece of skill during Bayern Munich’s 5-1 win over Hoffenheim in February.

Attempting a double stepover in the second half, the FC Bayern and Germany prodigy accidentally flicked the ball out of play with his own heel, with a clip of the incident quickly going viral online.

Looking back on the moment in an interview with FC Bayern’s members’ magazine, 51, Karl insists the criticism never really got to him, crediting Vincent Kompany for giving attacking players the freedom to express themselves.

“Against Hoffenheim, I once failed to pull off a stepover, and that immediately drew a bit of mockery on social media. But that didn’t bother me much, and I went on to perform well straight after," Karl said in the interview. 

"It’s good when the coach says that attacking players should show their style and try things out.”

On how Kompany has helped his game develop, Karl explained:

“My game has definitely become more mature and more grown-up. I've improved defensively in particular. In the youth teams, I didn’t like running back. I scored a lot of goals, which was my bonus. But in professional football, the opposition punishes you immediately if you don’t contribute. I learned that quickly.”