National football team – Kimmich in the role of his life: “Not a one-man show” – Bayern

Herzogenaurach (dpa) – It's just a small piece of fabric on the left upper arm. But with the prestigious black, red and gold captain's armband, Joshua Kimmich has fulfilled his role as a footballer. When the ambitious Bayern professional mentioned terms such as pride and honour after the national team's first training session before the Nations League match against Hungary next Saturday (8.45 p.m./ZDF) and of course spoke of “something very special” that the appointment by national coach Julian Nagelsmann means for him, it doesn't come out like a standard professional cliché.

No, Kimmich means it the way he says it. “As a small child, you always dream of becoming a national player.” You write that down somewhere in your friends' book. But it's still very far away and very unrealistic,” he says in the bright spotlight on the DFB podium. “Nobody dreams of becoming captain,” he adds.

Great predecessors as world champion captains

And now – at the age of 30 – he is the leading representative of the national team. And Kimmich joins a famous list of predecessors. His next dream is to hold the golden World Cup trophy in his hands on July 19, 2026 in the football stadium of the New York Giants and New York Jets as the fifth German captain after Fritz Walter (1954), Franz Beckenbauer (1974), Lothar Matthäus (1990) and Philipp Lahm (2014). “The World Cup is still a long way off, but it's in the back of my mind,” says Kimmich.

Kimmich, who was born in Rottweil, Baden-Württemberg, will lead the DFB team onto the pitch for the first time as official captain against their European Championship group opponents Hungary in Düsseldorf. This is not a new task for him. Until now, however, he has always done it on behalf of the permanent captain. Since Monday, that is now him – as successor to Ilkay Gündogan.

What kind of captain will Kimmich be? A successful one, for sure. “Above all, my generation has nothing left to give away. We want to use every title, every opportunity. And that's where we want to start with the Nations League,” he announces resolutely.

“Pillars have collapsed”

“We no longer have any players in the squad that have become world champions.” Only a few 2017 Confederations Cup winners like him. He will lead the team together with other leaders such as his deputies Antonio Rüdiger (31) and Kai Havertz (25). “Captaincy is not a one-man show!” said Kimmich. You need – especially after the departure of Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller and Gündogan – “a lot of guys who take on responsibility. Pillars have collapsed for us.”

For Nagelsmann, the captain is “the team's representative”. One of the most important contacts. A fixed point – on and off the pitch. With 91 international matches, Kimmich is the most experienced in the current squad. His promotion was to be expected and understandable.

He was already one of the three captains at the European Championships. Gündogan and Müller are no longer there. And that automatically made Kimmich “the number one candidate,” as Nagelsmann said: “Josh is a role model for the whole group in the way he does his job as a professional footballer.” He always gives it his all. He will always train – sometimes too much. He is never tired. He will always win. He leads the way with his mentality.”

Open detailed view

At the start of preparations for the Hungary match, Kimmich was only able to play this multi-role on the training pitch for a limited time. He retired early on Tuesday morning, as did his Bayern colleagues Aleksandar Pavlovic and the almost completely rested Jamal Musiala. The only three remaining Bayern pros in the DFB squad had played against Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday evening and were less stressed.

Further to the right instead of in the midfield: So what!

The captaincy will continue to drive Kimmich. But he no longer seems as dogged as he used to. This is also reflected in the way he deals with the fact that Nagelsmann has not chosen him to fill the big gap in his favorite area. Successors for Toni Kroos and Gündogan must be found in midfield. But he is not supposed to be that person.

Kimmich remains on the right back of the DFB team. “I see it as a strength that I can play both positions.” “That really helped me get to where I am,” he says at a more mature age. He “also had fun” as a right back at the European Championships.

For the national coach, Kimmich is anything but a marginal figure on the right. Nagelsmann emphasized this explicitly: “Josh set a benchmark at the European Championships.” He had by far the best values ​​of all right-backs. He will continue to hold the position.”

Open detailed view

And he might be able to crown his DFB career as captain there. At the 2016 European Championship, he fought his way into the starting eleven as a tournament newcomer; also as a right defender. Kimmich rose to become class representative of the promising 1995 generation – and thus became the face of the botched tournaments in 2018 (World Cup), 2021 (European Championship) and 2022 (World Cup).

After the European Championship at home, where the fans were won back despite the quarter-final exit, he is now looking to the future “with a positive feeling”: “Everyone in the team is keen to play for Germany.” Especially him – with a piece of cloth on his left upper arm.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240903-930-221534/4