Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich has gotten the nod as next Germany captain following the international retirements of Manchester City midfielder İlkay Gündoğan, who captained the side at EURO 2024, and Kimmich’s club teammate, Thomas Müller.
Kimmich and Müller served as vice captains this summer, which means those two positions had opened up as well. Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann named Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger (31) and Arsenal FC forward Kai Havertz (25) as the new deputy leaders — and Kimmich praised both in a press conference this week from the Germany camp.
“I’ve known Antonio since his time at VfB Stuttgart. He was a first team player and I was still a youth player. We looked up to him. Everyone who made it to the first team from the youth was a great role model for us. Unfortunately we never played together at club level. Our relationship is very good. We get on really well,” Kimmich said in remarks captured by @iMiaSanMia. “I’ve known Kai for a long time too. I’m very happy that he got this role. He flies under the radar. Sometimes it’s not just about scoring goals. Kai runs a lot and gives everything for the team. We need people like him.”
Germany opens its UEFA Nations League campaign with matches on Saturday vs. Hungary and Tuesday vs. the Netherlands. Can the team continue its good run of form that was on display at EURO 2024?
Looking to catch-up on Bayern Munich’s weekend, plus a breakdown of how each Bundesliga match played out? Great, then check out the latest episode of Bavarian Podcast Works — The Bundesliga Rundown with Marcus Iredahl. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
