Bayern starlet turns 18 

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Lennart Karl is unquestionably a generational talent and the Bayern Munich starlet has already made a major impression during his breakthrough season. The attacking midfielder became the youngster German player to score in the Champions League when he netted his first professional goal against Club Brugge in October. Karl broke another record in European football’s elite club competition in December when he became the youngest player to score in three consecutive games.

Karl has already made a major impact in Bayern’s first-team this season and the 18-year-old will have aspirations of breaking into Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad for the World Cup this summer. The Bayern starlet’s market value soared by €58.5 million across 2025 to his current valuation of €60m and the most valuable player born in 2008. Combining Transfermarkt’s famed market values and unrivalled database, we’ve compiled a list of the most valuable players on their 18th birthday across history.

The most valuable players on their 18th birthday

The top ten list is stacked with former wonderkids with some starlets becoming world-class talents and several failing to fulfil their potential. Karl ranks joint-fourth with his €60m valuation alongside Endrick and Warren Zaïre-Emery in 2024, plus Gavi in 2022. As the graphic below illustrates, Karl is only eclipsed by three players from Barcelona – Lamine Yamal, Ansu Fati and Pau Cubarsí.

Yamal was comfortably the most valuable player in history on his 18th birthday in 2025 at €200m. The Spanish international remains the joint-most valuable player on the planet, alongside Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. Cubarsi is an instrumental part of Hansi Flick’s Barca but Fati struggled to live up to his billing and he’s currently on-loan at Monaco with a valuation of €10m.