„I’m not a fan of hype“: Kompany talks about Karl euphoria | OneFootball

Lennart Karl made headlines across Europe with his historic goal in FC Bayern’s 4:0 win against Club Brugge. The 17-year-old crowned his Champions League debut with a dream goal and became the youngest German goalscorer in the premier class. While fans and the media go into raptures, head coach Vincent Kompany remains calm – and puts the brakes on the euphoria surrounding the super talent.

Lennart Karl had already shown glimpses of his potential during the summer preparations. Since his dream goal last night at the latest, Munich’s top talent has played his way into the media spotlight in Germany. The youngster scored with a powerful long-range shot to give his side an early lead in a commanding home win , making history in the process. But while the hype surrounding the home-grown talent is gathering pace, Vincent Kompany remains objective despite all the enthusiasm.

Kompany: „He has acclimatised well to the team“

After the match, the Bayern coach praised his protégé – without, however, praising him to the skies. „Lennart has been training with us for seven to eight months. He’s got used to the team and the lads. He’s capable of scoring goals, both in training and in friendly matches. He took his chance today,“ explained Kompany at the press conference.

The Belgian emphasised that Karl’s development should be continuous and controlled. „I don’t put young players under pressure and I don’t expect them to be key players. But I think he showed a solid performance today.“

A deliberately chosen tone – because Kompany knows how dangerous excessive expectations can be.

„I’m not a fan of hype“

Photo: IMAGO/DeFodi Images

Despite the clear victory and his team’s dominant performance, Kompany preferred to focus on the overall performance rather than individual successes. „Of course the performance was good today. We could have scored more goals and we didn’t concede any. It was a good home game. We also saw a lot of young players today,“ said the 39-year-old.

With regard to the record goalscorer, Kompany added: „Lennart Karl showed in an important game that he can help us. But I’m not a fan of hype. If he carries on like this, he’ll get his chance over the course of the season.“

Kompany is thus sending out a clear message: instead of exaggeration and pressure of expectation, he is focussing on careful promotion and continuity – in line with his philosophy of slowly introducing young players to responsibility at FC Bayern.

While fans and the media are already celebrating the young attacking player as the next Bayern shooting star, Kompany is deliberately keeping the pace slow. The coach wants to prevent Karl from getting caught up in the media maelstrom too early – and relies on the principle of „promotion without excessive demands“.

But one thing is certain: with his courage, his intelligence and his carefree attitude, Lennart Karl has made an impression – on his team-mates, on the fans and even on his reserved coach.