Bayern Munich’s injured young star, Lennart Karl, celebrated enthusiastically with his teammates in front of the fan curve wearing an extravagant pink outfit, much to the chagrin of his advisor, Michael Ballack.
«The fact that he’s jumping at all is too much. But it’s due to the euphoria and youthfulness,» Ballack commented to DAZN after the German record champions’ 4-3 victory (2-3) in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid.
The 18-year-old rising national player, Karl, is currently sidelined with a muscle tear in his right thigh. He watched the match from the stands of the Allianz Arena but was prominently involved in the subsequent celebrations on the pitch.
Lennart Karl Causes a Stir with Quirky Outfit and Lateness
Dressed in pink trousers, a pink jacket, a pink (Smurf-like) hat, and matching shoes, Karl caused quite a stir. This was despite vice-captain Joshua Kimmich’s plea for fans to wear red to the arena before the high-stakes match.
«He’ll get an earful in the locker room, I’m sure of it,» Ballack remarked. He added that he would «definitely» send Karl a personal message. Teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic reacted with a smile to his friend’s appearance, saying, «You know the kid. He wants to stand out. You saw it again today. Let him do his thing.»
What Karl should not have done, but did during the game, was miss significant portions of the match, including the goal conceded just before halftime that made it 2-3. Karl had left his seat at exactly the 39th minute and was also late returning to his seat at the start of the second half, only reappearing in the 52nd minute.
Karl had also been absent from Bayern’s previous match, a 5-0 win against St. Pauli last Saturday. The duration of coach Vincent Kompany’s unavailability of the offensive player has not been disclosed by Bayern.