“Publicly made a target”: Michael Ballack hits out at Uli Hoeneß and Max Eberl after criticism of Bayern gem Lennart Karl

Bayern youngster Lennart Karl is currently facing criticism from several quarters. Honorary president Uli Hoeneß, in particular, has recently had nothing good to say about the 18-year-old – much to the displeasure of his agent, Michael Ballack. The former international is therefore taking a confrontational stance and coming to his client’s defence.

"Lennart is only 18. Where were you at 18? Just as he is finding his feet on the pitch, he is doing the same off it," Ballack said on DAZN . He also defended Karl's social media presence: "Social media is a major factor today, and not just for the younger generation. Everyone can present themselves however they want. Of course, they won't get everything right. Unfortunately, criticism is inevitable."

Ballack was responding in particular to Hoeneß, who had said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag that he would have a serious conversation with the attacking prospect. Karl was "still a long way from being a superstar", the club patriarch stressed. "Young players need humility and pressure. Comparisons with Olise are clearly not doing him any good; they are still worlds apart. For example, I don't know whether it does Lennart Karl any good if people just keep putting an arm around him."

What are Bayern Munich criticising Lennart Karl for?

Other Bayern officials also view Karl's social media presence with scepticism, according to Bild. The bosses are said to be particularly unhappy with his "glamorous lifestyle and his private life with his influencer girlfriend Zoe Käppele". The message within the club: less Instagram, more focus on football. The club is encouraging Karl to follow the example of Tom Bischof, who keeps his relationship out of the public eye.

Hoeneß has taken the teenager to task in public before. At the start of May, he objected to the pink outfit Karl wore while watching the 4-3 win against Real Madrid from the stands, when the attacking player was injured. "You don't have to appear on the internet in a pink suit," Hoeneß said on DAZN. He cited a similar case involving Bastian Schweinsteiger: "Franz (Beckenbauer, editor's note) and I stepped in then, too."

For Ballack, the danger is that the public debate about Karl's conduct is becoming tangled up with his development as a player. The youngster has one goal and two assists after eleven matches. "It is legitimate for Uli Hoeneß to criticise the way Lennart presents himself publicly. But it is also clear that, in doing so, he is publicly making Lennart a target," the 50-year-old explained. He also said Karl had to respond: "Lenny has to show on the pitch that he can get out of this slump."

Ballack has another stake in the debate: his agency, Lucky 13, represents Karl. The former international is defending his protégé both as a DAZN pundit and as an agent. Those two roles collide here.

Board member for sport Max Eberl's recent comments have also puzzled Ballack: "Now that Lennart's form is clearly on the rise again, the timing of Max Eberl saying he is in a slump on the pitch, embellished with references to missteps, is hard to understand, and the substance of it is, at the very least, open to question."

His faith in Karl remains strong. "Lennart Karl has character. It is to be expected that this will probably cause him to ruffle feathers once or twice more in his career," Ballack said. He called Karl's development over the past year "outstanding". Establishing himself at Bayern Munich at just 17 spoke not only to exceptional footballing ability, but above all to character.

Ballack closed with a message for his protégé: "I hope Lennart won't let himself be completely reshaped before he even turns 20. He has my full support in that!"