According to an anecdote from the Shenzhen-based podcast Un num zum Sport (as reported by Bild ), Real Madrid came close to signing Bayern Munich prodigy Leinart Karl back in 2018, almost four years before he moved to the Bavarian capital.
This story comes from Süddeutsche Zeitung journalist Sebastian Leisgang, who has been writing for the newspaper since 2017. He was from the area near Frammersbach in Karl’s hometown of Lower Franconia and knew the family.
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how did this happen
Leisgang revealed the sequence of events in the podcast (translation provided by @iMiaSanMia):
At the age of 10, he had a trial with Real Madrid. There are training camps at regional level, one of which is located in Grosskrezenberg in the Aschaffenburg region.
From there he progressed to the next round in Memmingen. He won again there and was subsequently invited to Real Madrid and allowed to play at the Santiago Bernabeu.
As you know, the deal with Real Madrid didn’t work out at that time. My father told me later that he was very happy about it because he felt it wasn’t really about his son but about negotiating a contract with a major player agency.
So things failed. Looking back now, the family certainly has no regrets.
Did Madrid miss out?
Looking at Lennart Karl’s development since 2018, that’s almost certainly the case. The youngster has been a revelation for Bayern Munich this season, setting the following records (via Squawka):
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The youngest player to score in the Champions League for Bayern Munich.
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The youngest player to score in his first two Champions League starts.
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The youngest player to score in three consecutive Champions League games.
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The youngest player to score and assist in a Bundesliga game.
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The youngest player to score five times in the Bundesliga.
At just seventeen years old, Julian Nagelsmann was already calling for Karl to be called up to the German national team. Spearheading these efforts is team captain Joshua Kimmich (who was also Karl’s teammate at Bayern Munich).
Kimmich believes that being able to start and play for Bayern Munich means that Karl is ready for top-level football, regardless of his age. If this argument applies to the national team, it certainly applies to Real Madrid.
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However, note what Carl’s father said – he’s glad the deal didn’t go through. If Carl had moved to Madrid at such a young age (only ten years old at the time), it would likely have affected his development. Instead, a move to Eintracht Frankfurt’s youth team in 2017 proved to be the right decision, and he eventually joined Bayern Munich.
A few more years later, Karl now finds himself regularly starting at Germany’s biggest clubs. His contract automatically extends when he turns 18, so if Real Madrid (or any other team) want him, they’ll have to pay Neymar-level money. Even so, Bayern Munich may still refuse.
Yes, he is that talented. Furthermore, Real Madrid have an overwhelming number of attackers. With Vinicius Junior, Mbappe, Rodrygo, Bellingham and others, Xavi Alonso has plenty of offensive options. If Carr had moved to Madrid, maybe he wouldn’t have had a breakout season.
Football is all about little coincidences like this – they make or break careers.