Crucially, Matthaus pointed out that Karl’s dream is actually beneficial for Bayern Munich in the medium term. The logic is sound: for Real Madrid to ever be interested in signing Karl, he must first become a superstar in Munich.
"I think it's all in order," Matthaus continued. "It shows that Karl is ambitious and believes in himself. He knows that he has to perform outstandingly at Bayern Munich to even be on the list at Real Madrid. The 17-year-old hasn't said he wants to play for Real in the next two years. It is his dream. Dreams can come true, but you have to work for them and FC Bayern would also benefit from that. If Karl becomes so good that Real Madrid negotiates with him, he must first achieve extraordinary things at another club."
Perhaps the most compelling part of Matthaus' defence was a personal revelation regarding his own career. The German legend admitted that he, too, had agreed to join Los Blancos during his prime, only for the move to be blocked by his club.
"I, too, would have liked to play for the Royals," Matthaus revealed. "I became World Footballer of the Year in 1990-91 and suddenly Real Madrid was at the door. I would have liked to go, but I still had an existing contract. That's why the transfer didn't work out back then. Real and I, we were in agreement, however, Inter Milan didn't want to let me go for a high transfer fee."
He added: "I also had dreams: I always said that I want to play for a bigger club, want to become a national player and want to be at the World Cup. At some point, the dreams just get bigger. Four years ago he [Karl] probably would have said that he wants to play in the Bundesliga—probably at Bayern Munich."