Welcome to issue #031 of Contemporary Football, your inside look at how the game really works behind the scenes.
Monday to Friday, you’ll uncover a new perspective on football business, and sometimes a deeper story that sharpens your thinking and gives you an edge in the beautiful game.
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Hey everyone,
A 17-year-old might be the next football star.
His name is Lennart Karl.
And what he’s doing at Bayern Munich this season tells us something deeper about how the game really works.
The Numbers
Karl was born on 22 February 2008 and stands at 1.68 m.
Far from the archetype many scouts still overvalue.
What he does have, though:
Became the youngest Bayern player to score in the Champions League.
Scored in three consecutive UCL matches, the youngest ever to do so.
Earned Man of the Match in Bayern’s 3–1 win over Sporting CP.
Has also broken records previously, including youngest Bundesliga goal scorer and youngest to both score and assist in a top-flight match for Bayern.
Despite limited minutes compared with senior stars like Harry Kane or Serge Gnabry, Karl impacts games.
The Lazy Filter Fails Again
Every transfer call sounds the same:
“We need someone tall.”
“Physical profile first.”
Then Karl shows up, 168 cm tall, and starts doing this.
Football keeps proving one thing:
You can’t measure class in centimetres.
For years, clubs filtered players out because they weren’t 1.85 m or more.
And yet the game is still shaped by those who think faster, not those who stand taller.
I love Haaland and I really like Pio Esposito.
I also love Pedri and Karl.
It’s AND, not OR.
Height should never automatically be a flaw.
Small players with elite processing and instinct will always find a way, precisely because most systems fail to value intelligence over size.
Why This Matters Beyond Bayern
Karl isn’t an anomaly.
He’s a symptom of better scouting, better development pathways, and a club willing to trust data and observation over outdated heuristics.
Bayern didn’t just slot him in because he scored in the youth league.
They backed him because:
his decision-making is elite for his age
his technical profile fits the team’s tactical identity
his performance under pressure stays consistent
And that’s the real lesson:
A player’s choice should be defined by fit and output, not a template.
Contemporary Football Take
Modern scouting and development still battle old filters.
Too often clubs chase physical profiles and ignore football IQ.
Karl’s rise shows:
Technical intelligence trumps physical archetypes.
A clear development model works better than panicked scouting.
You don’t need to be tall to dominate. You need to think faster.
We hope to see many more Lennart Karls in the future.
Modern football is drowning in controversy, refereeing debates, VAR noise, politics, and constant format changes.
What it lacks is simple and urgent: players who make us feel something again.
See you tomorrow,
Federico