Bayern and Germany wonderkid reveals he plays with Messi on his left shinpad

Lennart Karl has spoken about his admiration for Lionel Messi.

Bayern Munich and Germany prodigy Lennart Karl has opened up about his biggest role model, Lionel Messi, revealing that he plays with a picture of the Argentine legend on one of his shinpads.

“Yes, Messi is on my left shinpad,” Karl revealed in an interview with FC Bayern’s members’ magazine, “51”.

“He’s been my role model ever since I could play football – left-footed, on the smaller side too, a player who does incredible things with the ball. Having him with me gives me something to think about. It’s simply an incentive to work hard to make a name for myself at the highest level.”

Asked which of his Bayern teammates he learns the most from, Karl responded:

“Michael Olise is someone I particularly enjoy watching. He operates in similar spaces, is also left-footed, and has a composure on the ball that I can learn a lot from.

“With Jo [Kimmich] or Harry [Kane], for example, I’m impressed by what they do off the pitch. How they work in the gym, how seriously they take it, and how professional their whole daily routine is. That’s really impressive.”