Harry Kane offers advice to Lennart Karl and admits he's been blown away by Bayern Munich wonderkid

Lennart Karl Harry Kane

Lennart Karl the 17-year-old attacking midfielder, has experienced a remarkably rapid ascent at Bayern Munich, quickly transitioning from the academy to the first team and earning significant praise from superstar team-mate Harry Kane who has hailed the youngster’s positive impact with the Bavarian giants. The England captain has also offered some advice to his young colleague.

Karl making his mark

Karl joined the Bayern's academy in the summer of 2022, having previously been with Viktoria Aschaffenburg and Eintracht Frankfurt. His talent shone through early on, and by the 24-25 season, he was a standout player for the under 17 and under 19 teams, and bagged an impressive 27 goals and 11 assists in just 18 matches for the under 17s. 

His performances earned him an invitation to train with the senior squad, and he made his non-competitive professional debut in June 2025 during a Club World Cup match, but this season has been his true breakthrough. He was integrated into the first-team squad by boss Vincent Kompany and in October he became Bayern's youngest-ever Champions League goalscorer with a goal against Club Brugge, just three days later, he scored his first Bundesliga goal. His fearless style of play and technical quality have made him a regular contributor, even amidst the pressure of filling in for the injured Jamal Musiala and has earned a shining review from team-mate Kane.

FC Bayern München v 1. FSV Mainz 05 - Bundesliga

Kane: 'He has a great work ethic'

Speaking with Bundesliga.com, Kane said: “I think Lenny's been great for us. I think you see the qualities that he has, especially in tight areas. That's been a big help for us since he's been in the team because we play a lot against a low block or against a 5-4-1 system where teams drop off and make it difficult for us to get through. Lenny helps to open that space up because he's so quick and so good on the ball and he can beat a defender. He's similar to Jamal (Musiala) in that way, which has opened up games for us and has given him a chance to score and has given other people chances to score.

"Without the ball, he has a great work ethic. The way we train here and the way the boss is, I don’t think he would let him get away with anything else. That's great for him to be able to learn and to try to help the team, so it’s great to have him. He’s quite a quiet boy, which is understandable because he's only 17 and in this environment. He's learning every day and he's enjoying being part of this team and part of this group. We’ve loved having him in the team because he’s made a difference in a lot of games this year."

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Karl offered advice by Kane

Kane also had some words of advice for Karl: "He's an intelligent boy who likes to watch and see how things happen. Starting so young, the biggest thing for Lenny to realise is that there are going to be moments that won’t be so good and there are going to be highs like he is having now, and it’s important not to get too caught up in the outside noise. He just has to keep doing what he is doing. The reason he is where he is now is because of the way he works and trains, and that’s the most important thing. It’s easy to forget the basics that got you there when you start playing every game and your name is getting spoken about a lot more than usual. He has a good coach in that sense, and good players around him to make sure that he stays at the level he is now and to keep trying to make him improve. He will get better as he physically develops, so from our point of view it’s just about keeping him working hard like the rest of us and he will improve for sure.”

FC Bayern München v 1. FSV Mainz 05 - Bundesliga

The future's bright for Karl 

The 17-year-old has made a stunning to life in the senior team and is receiving plaudits from all quarters. And the relationship with his Bayern team-mates seems keen to how his football career develops in the coming months and years. Karl said recently: "It’s so much fun. I’m learning so much with Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich and everyone around me. It allows me to show my football. They play passes to me, I play passes back – they’re great team-mates and that makes it a lot of fun."