Hype and expectations: How Bayern jewel Karl deals with pressure | OneFootball

Lennart Karl enjoyed a meteoric rise last season. The 18-year-old established himself as a permanent option for Vincent Kompany at FC Bayern, made his debut for the national team and is now regarded as one of Europe’s greatest talents. But with success came new challenges – in particular the growing pressure

While Karl was still largely unconcerned at the start of the season, the perception changed with every goal and every assist. The public became aware of the youngster and expectations continued to rise

In the club’s own members‘ magazine 51, the attacking player spoke openly about how his everyday life has changed as a result of the sudden hype

Karl felt the rising expectations

„When the first goals came, the first assists, the public became more aware – you can just feel it,“ explained Karl looking back

Despite the growing attention, the Bayern professional tries not to change his approach, although this is not always easy, especially at games in the Allianz Arena with over 75,000 spectators

„Of course, it’s not that easy in the Allianz Arena in front of 75,000 spectators. But I try to treat it exactly the same way: to play my game, just like I used to in the U17s or U19s. And it usually works,“ the 18-year-old emphasized

Eight goalless games became a test of endurance

photo: IMAGO

The new pressure on Karl became particularly clear at the start of the second half of the season, when his strong start to the season was followed by a phase in which the hoped-for successes failed to materialize

„At the start of the second half of the season, I had a phase in which I didn’t score a goal in eight games. That’s when I realized how closely I was being watched, that every action suddenly carried more weight,“ revealed the international

It was during this phase in particular that he realized how quickly perceptions can change in professional soccer

Coach Vincent Kompany had repeatedly tried to keep the pressure off his protégé throughout the season. The Belgian emphasized publicly on several occasions that other players had to bear the responsibility and that Karl should above all keep his carefree attitude

The youngster seems to have internalized this message: „A certain amount of pressure has slowly built up, but I can handle it,“ Karl explained confidently

Next step at the World Cup?

These statements show how maturely the 18-year-old is already dealing with the challenges of professional soccer. The enormous hype does not seem to have thrown him off course so far

Now the next big stage awaits with the World Cup. After his strong performance against Finland, Karl is one of the most exciting personnel in Julian Nagelsmann’s squad

If he can build on his performances in Munich, the pressure is likely to increase further – but so too will his status as one of German soccer’s greatest promises for the future.