YOUNGEST RECORD-BREAKER: MEET LENNART KARL, THE 17-YEAR-OLD TAKING THE BUNDESLIGA BY STORM
Vincent Kompany backs Lennart Karl after Real Madrid comments. Get the latest on Neuer’s return and Bayern’s injury-hit squad.
Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany brushed off Lennart Karl’s recent comment about Real Madrid being his “dream club,” calling it a simple mistake.
Karl, who just made his debut for Bayern in August, is only 17, but he’s already bagged goals in both the Champions League and the Bundesliga—making him the club’s youngest scorer in both competitions. Still, he stirred things up last weekend when he told fans he saw himself moving on one day.
“FC Bayern is a huge club. Playing here is a dream. But at some point, I definitely want to go to Real Madrid,” Karl said. “That’s my dream club, but let’s keep that between us.”
Kompany, speaking before Sunday’s match against Wolfsburg, wasn’t too fazed. He called Karl’s words a “communicative error” and said, “I try to keep some distance from this stuff. Everyone has to weather a storm here and there. What matters is the bigger picture.”
He went on, “Lennart works hard every day, not just in games but in training and meetings too. Maybe he slipped up with what he said, but his focus is in the right place, and he’s had a good week.”
Kompany praised Karl’s attitude: “He’s earned his minutes—his quality is obvious, and he’s doing a lot right. He spoke with Christoph Freund and Max Eberl and apologised, which I appreciate. I’ve tried to be the one person not talking to him about it! If he ever stops giving 100%, then he’ll have a problem with me, but so far he’s trained and played really well.”
Bayern will be missing Sacha Boey, Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, and Joshua Kimmich against Wolfsburg due to injuries, but Manuel Neuer returns from a hamstring issue. Neuer’s contract runs out at the end of the season, and Bayern won’t make any decisions about his future until March, when he’ll turn 40.
“Manu is fit and will start in goal,” Kompany said. “He’s achieved so much here—it’s amazing, honestly. He’s almost 40 and still playing at the very top. We’ll sit down and figure things out together.”
Bayern head into the Christmas break sitting comfortably at the top of the Bundesliga, eight points clear, while Wolfsburg are stuck down in 14th.
Kompany isn’t taking anything for granted, though. “Wolfsburg’s strengths are obvious—they’re dangerous going forward and always a threat. They’ve scored plenty lately. It’s not a game we can take lightly.”
THE KANE ERA: HARRY KANE HITS 28 LEAGUE GOALS AFTER THIRD CONSECUTIVE BUNDESLIGA BRACE
Harry Kane can't stop scoring! Discover how his brace beat Frankfurt and the latest on Alphonso Davies' devastating injury blow.
Harry Kane just can’t stop scoring. He bagged another two goals, his third Bundesliga brace in a row, helping Bayern Munich squeeze past Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 on Saturday. With this win, Bayern now sit nine points clear at the top, looking down at Borussia Dortmund. Of course, Dortmund have been on fire lately, winning six in a row, and they still had their game against RB Leipzig later that evening.
Aleksandar Pavlovic got things rolling for Bayern with a low drive to open the scoring. Kane then struck on both sides of halftime, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. He gave away a penalty late on, which Jonathan Burkardt tucked away for Frankfurt with just 13 minutes left. Bayern’s captain, Joshua Kimmich, also had a rough moment; his poor pass handed Arnaud Kalimuendo a goal to pull Frankfurt even closer. Still, Bayern managed to hold their nerve and saw it out.
Jamal Musiala, finally back in the starting lineup after a long spell out, summed it up pretty well: “I was satisfied until the 75th minute,” he said. “We need to learn from that. We can’t have moments like that. Luckily we have the three points, but we need to stay 100 per cent focused and energised, no matter who we’re playing.”
Kane’s numbers this season are just ridiculous: 28 goals in 23 Bundesliga games, 43 in all competitions. He’s scored more than one goal in a match 13 times this season. The only major downside for Bayern? Alphonso Davies went off injured in the second half, clutching his ankle after a tackle. He looked pretty devastated as he left the pitch, not what Bayern wanted, especially after he just come back from a long ACL layoff.
Bayern started strong, with Pavlovic pouncing on a loose ball after a failed clearance and firing a shot that slipped through Frankfurt keeper Kaua Santos’s hands. Four minutes later, Kane doubled the lead, nodding in a corner from close range. He added his second midway through the second half, sliding the ball just inside the post with his left foot.
Burkardt’s penalty looked like nothing more than a consolation, but then Kimmich’s mistake set up Kalimuendo to make it 3-2 with just four minutes left. Bayern held on, though, keeping Frankfurt from finding a late equaliser.
Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen came crashing back to earth after their Champions League heroics. They lost 1-0 at Union Berlin, with Rani Khedira smashing in the winner after bullying Robert Andrich off the ball in the 28th minute. That loss leaves Leverkusen in sixth place, three points off the Champions League spots.
Hoffenheim, sitting third, had to settle for a 2-2 draw at Cologne, just their second time dropping points in eight matches. Cologne went ahead first with a stunning bicycle kick from Ragnar Ache, but Hoffenheim bounced back, with Ozan Kabak and Andrej Kramaric scoring on either side of halftime. Then teenage winger Said El Mala pulled Cologne level with a brilliant solo effort, and the home side dug in to earn a hard-fought point.
Augsburg had to come from behind twice at Wolfsburg, but they pulled off a dramatic 3-2 win when Elvis Rexhbecaj scored deep into stoppage time. That victory gives them a comfortable cushion nine points clear of the relegation play-off zone.
"HUGE MISTAKE": VINCENT KOMPANY SLAMS JOSE MOURINHO FOR ATTACKING VINíCIUS JúNIOR’S CHARACTER
Vincent Kompany hits back at Jose Mourinho! Discover why the Bayern boss thinks Mourinho’s Eusébio comments are a "huge mistake."
Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany didn’t hold back after hearing Jose Mourinho’s comments about Vinicius Jr and the alleged racist abuse the Real Madrid star faced.
Here’s what happened. On Tuesday night, Benfica and Madrid played in the Champions League play-off first leg at Estadio da Luz. Vinicius Jr put Madrid ahead in the 50th minute, then, right after scoring, he went straight to the referee, Francois Letexier, to report racist abuse. Vinicius claimed Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, just 20 years old, targeted him. Prestianni quickly denied it, putting out a statement saying he didn’t say anything racist.
UEFA has already stepped in, appointing an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate. That process might take about three weeks, according to Sky Sports.
Then Mourinho weighed in. After the match, he suggested Vinicius brought on the tension himself with his goal celebration. He even dragged in Benfica legend Eusebio’s name when talking about racism. Here’s what Mourinho said: “I told him, when you score a goal like that, just celebrate and walk back. When he started talking about racism, I told him the biggest person in this club’s history was Black. This club is the last thing that is racist. If he thought something happened, that’s in his mind. Vinicius and Prestianni told me different things, but I don’t believe in either side. I want to be independent.”
Kompany was having none of it. He called out Mourinho for trying to discredit Vinicius and using Eusebio’s legacy as a shield.
“You have Mourinho, someone in a position of power, attacking Vinicius’ character over a celebration, just to dismiss what Vinicius is experiencing,” Kompany said. “And then he brings up Eusebio, as if having a Black club legend means Benfica can’t have a problem with racism. Does he actually know what Black players went through in the ‘60s? Was he there, travelling with Eusebio to see the abuse he faced all over Europe?”
Kompany got personal. “My dad’s a Black man from the ‘60s, too. Back then, the only option was to stay quiet, say nothing, and be ten times better just to get the smallest bit of respect. That was probably Eusebio’s reality. Now, Mourinho’s using his name to make a point against Vini Jr, who’s finally in a position to speak up? There are so many players across Europe, in Hungary, Bulgaria, and Serbia, who don’t have a voice if something like this happens. No one supports them.
“But Vini Jr, at least, can stand up now because others before him made it possible. He gets to protest, and that matters.”