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The German national team is set to make changes to its 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as their young sensation dubbed the ‘German Messi’ has been forced to withdraw.

Der Panzer, as the German national team is known, received a major setback just before the tournament begins.

Young Bayern Munich forward Lennart Karl has been ruled out of the competition after suffering an injury during a national team training session.

The 18-year-old sustained the injury during training last Friday and was immediately taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

From the start, Germany’s head coach Julian Nagelsmann admitted that the situation did not look promising.

“I feel really sorry for Lenny,” said Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann, as quoted by the BBC.

“It’s a huge disappointment for him and for all of us that he will miss the World Cup. The only consolation is that he’s still very young and has many tournaments ahead of him. We would have been delighted to have him in the squad,” added the 38-year-old coach.

Those concerns were confirmed when medical results showed that Karl was not fit enough to participate in the World Cup.

As a result, his name had to be removed from Germany’s final tournament squad list.

Karl’s absence is a heavy blow for the youngster. Over the past few weeks, he had impressed during preparations and caught the attention of the coaching staff.

His performances in training and friendly matches had made him one of the surprise inclusions in the German squad.

In fact, during the 4-0 friendly win over Finland, Karl started the match and performed admirably.

That strong showing boosted his chances of earning playing time at the World Cup.

To replace Karl, Nagelsmann has called up Assan Ouedraogo. The young RB Leipzig midfielder had narrowly missed out on making the final squad initially.

“With Assan Ouedraogo, we now have a player who, like Lenny, made a fantastic start with us. He’s also very talented, and we hope he plays bravely and freely,” Nagelsmann added.

Ouedraogo is currently on holiday in Spain, but the 20-year-old is expected to join the German squad soon in Chicago, where they are continuing their preparations.

For Ouedraogo, this call-up marks a special moment in his career. Having made his senior debut for Germany only last November, he now has the chance to experience the World Cup for the first time.

Nicknamed the ‘German Messi’

Operating as an attacking midfielder who can also play on the wing, Lennart Karl has drawn comparisons to Lionel Messi for his playing style.

Standing at 168 centimetres tall and being left-footed, his strong left leg and low centre of gravity have earned him the nickname ‘German Messi’.

“He plays like Messi because his centre of gravity is very low, which allows him to turn quickly,” said Khalil, as quoted by German outlet Bild.

“He uses his balance to perform sharp turns and quick movements, like a running back in the NFL. Sometimes he overdoes it, but he’s still young.”

This season, his performance has been impressive. At just 18 years old, Lennart Karl recorded 9 goals and 8 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich.

Indonesian Volleyball Legends Reveal Their Favourite Teams for the 2026 World Cup

The excitement of the 2026 World Cup is not limited to football fans but has also captivated figures from other sports, including Indonesian volleyball.

Several Indonesian volleyball legends and assistant coaches of the national volleyball team shared their predictions for the potential World Cup champions and their favourite players.

According to interviews conducted by Tribunnews, here are the favourite teams and players chosen by Indonesia’s volleyball legends for the 2026 World Cup:

Erwin Rusni (LavAni Coach and Former Indonesian National Volleyball Player)
Predicted Champion: Germany
Favourite Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Agung Seganti (Sukun Badak Coach and Former Indonesian National Volleyball Player)
Predicted Champion: Brazil
Favourite Player: Neymar

Loudry Maspaitella (PBVSI and Former Indonesian National Volleyball Player)
Predicted Champion: Argentina, France, Spain, Brazil, Germany, England
Favourite Player: Lionel Messi

Bobby Ade Setiawan (Assistant Coach of the Indonesian National Volleyball Team)
Predicted Champion: Brazil
Favourite Player: Leo Pereira

Indra Wahyudi Harahap (Assistant Coach of the Indonesian National Volleyball Team)
Predicted Champion: France
Favourite Player: Kylian Mbappe

(Tribunnews.com/Giri)