Only three players rank above him: Lennart Karl joins elite company after Champions League goal
After scoring against Atletico Madrid, Lennart Karl has joined an elite group.
Karl's opener against the Rojiblancos on Tuesday evening was his fifth career Champions League goal.
At 18 years and 254 days, Karl became the fourth-youngest player to reach five Champions League goals. Only Barcelona's Lamine Yamal (17 years, 291 days), Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe (18 years, 120 days) and Blancos legend Raul (18 years, 162 days) were younger than the Bayern Munich attacker when they scored their fifth.
It was Karl's first goal in the competition this season. His other four goals, including a historic one, came last season. Across all competitions, the 18-year-old has two goals and two assists in 13 competitive appearances in 2026/27.
After scoring, Karl held both hands to his ears and made a "blah-blah" gesture, a celebration that also attracted considerable media attention.
Why did Lennart Karl make that celebration against Atletico Madrid?
That "dig" at his critics could, in theory, have been aimed at FCB honorary president and club patron Uli Hoeneß, among others. Hoeneß had helped spark the recent public debate about the 18-year-old.
In an interview with Welt am Sonntag, he said of Karl: "I've decided to have a serious conversation with him." Karl was "far from being a superstar; young players need humility. Comparisons with Olise clearly aren't doing him any good, they are still worlds apart. [...] Young players need pressure too. For example, I don't know whether it does Lennart Karl any good if people always just put an arm around him."
Karl, in turn, received backing from team-mate Manuel Neuer, who told DAZN after the win over Atletico that people should not make too much of it: "Lenny is a very important part of the team. He is part of the group, and that's why we're happy for him. We always wish him the best game and great performances. He showed that again today." The 40-year-old added: "There's nothing to discuss and nothing to make an issue of."
