Germany’s national team has a rich history led by Bayern Munich legends like Franz Beckenbauer, Lothar Matthäus, Oliver Kahn, Michael Ballack, and Philipp Lahm. Manuel Neuer has held the post since 2016, while vice captains like Thomas Müller, Joshua Kimmich, and İlkay Gündoğan have served well in short stints.
Following EURO 2024, Neuer and Gündoğan both announced their retirement from international play for Die Mannschaft. Before it was officially announced this morning, Kimmich was considered the favorite but Antonio Rüdiger and Marc-André ter Stegen were potential options as well.
In his postgame interview with Sport1 (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Kimmich said, “I was vice captain at the EUROs. Ilkay has now retired, so the roles have been redistributed, the cards have been reshuffled. I don’t know yet, we’ll see. In general, I haven’t given it much thought. I’ll join the national team tomorrow. And then we’ll see what the coach has to say.”
Ahead of the upcoming Nations League match next weekend against Hungary, Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann officially named Kimmich as the captain with Kai Havertz and Rüdiger as the vice captains.
Looking for more chatter on Bayern Munich’s 2-0 victory over SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga, plus some additional thoughts on Julian Nagelsmann’s German national team selections? Great, then check our latest Bavarian Podcast Works Show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
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