Who is "Mini Olise" Lennart Karl? | OneFootball

Lennart Karl: Who is the Bayern Munich youngster being compared to Bastian Schweinsteiger?

After being named on the bench for Bayern Munich's 3-1 win against Augsburg on Matchday 28 of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season, it seems only a matter of time before Lennart Karl makes his first-team debut. bundesliga.com profiles the young German midfielder...

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Data correct as of 12 April 2025

Lennart Karl Age: 17 (born 22 February, 2008)Club: Bayern MunichPosition: Attacking midfielder/ wingerCountry: Germany U17 (10 caps, seven goals)

Key stats

Considered one of the brightest youngsters in German football, Karl, aged just 17, has long been tipped to make his senior Bayern debut, after consistently dazzling for the club’s youth teams.

An attacking midfielder who excels as a No.10 or right winger, Karl began his youth career at Bavarian Regionalliga (fourth-tier) outfit Viktoria Aschaffenburg, before a spell in Eintracht Frankfurt’s academy between 2017 and 2021. After returning to Aschaffenburg, he caught the eye of Bayern scouts and was snapped up by the Bundesliga giants in 2022.

This season, playing mostly for Bayern's U17s, Karl has proven a talismanic figure, registering 25 goals and 10 assists in just 16 matches. In February this year, Karl was promoted to Bayern’s U19s to challenge himself against players above his age category, while also being invited to train with the first-team squad. Five goals in six league appearances for the former show he is more than capable of handling the step up. The hope now is that he will be able to transition to senior football just as smoothly.

Whether he does make his first-team debut or not this season, Karl looks set to star for Germany at the U17 European Championships, which kick off in May. The playmaker has already scored seven goals in 10 appearances for the U17s and played a pivotal role in helping them qualify for the tournament.

Lennart Karl looks set to be one of the stars of this summer's U17 European Championship. (Carlos Rodrigues)

Plays a bit like: Michael Olise

While Karl’s passing range determination have drawn comparisons with Bayern icon Bastian Schweinsteiger, the player himself has a different role model – while Bayern youth coach Patrick Kaniuth also sees similarities with two other players entirely.

“Lennart considers Martin Ödegaard as a role model, and I really do see parallels,” reveals Kaniuth. “But he's also a bit like Arjen Robben and Michael Olise – players who like to cut inside and finish.”

Did you know?

While playing for Frankfurt's U11s back in 2018, Karl won the academy's goal of the year award for a jaw-dropping strike which saw him control a long pass with his heel before spinning and volleying into the top corner. It's a frankly ridiculous goal for anyone to score, let alone a 10-year-old, and you can enjoy it here...

What they're saying

“Lennart is a very good finisher and has a strong left foot in general. When he's on the ball, you automatically lean forward as a spectator.” – Patrick Kaniuth, Bayern youth coach.

"Playing for Bayern has always been his dream. As soon as we'd looked around the academy campus here, Lennart was sure he wanted to play football for this club." – Steffen Aloe, Lennart Karl's father.

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