Joshua Kimmich on becoming Germany captain: “I’ve felt that this position is something special. The responsibility extends beyond the pitch.”

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·2 Juni 2025

Joshua Kimmich on becoming Germany captain: “I’ve felt that this position is something special. The responsibility extends beyond the pitch.”

Gambar artikel:Joshua Kimmich on becoming Germany captain: “I’ve felt that this position is something special. The responsibility extends beyond the pitch.”

Speaking to kicker, ahead of his 100th appearance for the German national team, Joshua Kimmich spoke about being appointed National Team captain back in September.

Following the retirements of Ilkay Gündogan, Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos and Thomas Müller after EURO 2024, Germany were without a recognised captain. In the September international break, Kimmich was given the permanent role.

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kicker: In September, Nagelsmann made you captain. Was that a big step for you?

Kimmich:

“Not until that moment. As a child, you dream of playing for Germany. You don’t think about being captain—and you don’t work towards it either. Before that, I also thought the position wouldn’t change anything. It was always important to me that we weren’t just successful, but also truly a team. But since becoming captain, I’ve felt that this position is something special. The responsibility extends beyond the pitch. It makes me very proud, and I consider it a great honor to be captain of the national team.”

After making his 100th appearance in midweek, Kimmich will be the 14th player to reach 100 appearances for Germany, if Kimmich stays fit, by the end of the year. He will be able to climb into the top 10 of all-time appearances for the national team, while he is still only 30 years old.

Earlier in his interview, Kimmich spoke about self-doubt earlier in his career, so reaching such an achievement is impressive.

On Wednesday, Germany play Portugal in the Nations League semi-finals in Munich. A win will book their place in the final against either Spain or France next Sunday.

GGFN | Jack Meenan