Joshua Kimmich has been selected as the captain of the German national football team following Bayern Munich teammate Manuel Neuer’s retirement. Speaking at a press conference (as captured by Twitter account @iMiaSanMia), the 29-year-old stressed that one must work to achieve the position of being team captain.
“Of course I’m proud”, Kimmich said. “It’s nice, especially when I see where I come from. As a kid, you naturally dream of playing for the national team. But captain is still unrealistic. Nobody dreams of becoming a captain. That’s something very special. I’m also happy that the people around me are happy and that I’ve been given their trust. I want to repay that. It’s not like it’s a one-man show as captain.”
Photo by Stefan Matzke – sampics/Getty Images
Kimmich played alongside some of the biggest names in German football who were leaders too. “You are inspired by the captains that you played with yourself. Philipp Lahm, Manuel Neuer and Ilkay Gündogan. I think everyone interprets the role in their own way. But the structure of the team was also different for everyone. You have to approach it individually. Certain tasks definitely have to be completed, which I may not know about yet.”
Looking for more chatter on the German national team during this international break? Great, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show, which details the German national team’s upcoming slate of UEFA Nations League games against Hungary and the Netherlands. You can get the show on Patreon, Spotify, or below: :
