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Bayern Munich have an appetite for developing fresh, young talent into world-class footballers and they’ve done that for years. The most recent addition to that list of superstars is 21-year old Joshua Kimmich who has gone from strength to strength in his fairly short spell at the Allianz Arena.
In just a little under two years at the club, Kimmich has played a variety of different roles under two of the finest managers in modern football and has excelled in each of them.
The Rottweiler Dog is famous for hunting and was named after the city of Rottweil, the same place where Joshua Kimmich comes from. He’s adapted the tenacious qualities of the dog, but that’s just a mere coincidence. Kimmich’s senior career kicked off at RB Leipzig – when they were in the lower divisions that is – and he moved to Bayern Munich at the start of 2015, hoping to feature mainly for the junior sides and make sporadic appearances on the first team’s bench.
“I love Joshua Kimmich. He has everything to achieve everything he wants.” – Ex-Bayern Munich manager, Pep Guardiola
But it has been anything but that. 14 months later, the then Bayern Munich and current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola gave Kimmich a start in a crucial Bundesliga away tie at Borussia Dortmund in the unfamiliar position of centre-half. After a stand-out performance, where he kept out the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus and was arguably the best player on the pitch, Guardiola had a passionate, on-pitch dressing down just moments after the final whistle.
He seemed infuriated, which would have been quite a surprise considering Kimmich’s impact that night, but German daily SportBild had an explanation:
Guardiola: ‘You were brilliant today, Josh. Very, very good. I had told you that you could do it.’
Kimmich: ‘Thanks Pep. It was a very difficult game, but at the end, I was quite OK.’
Guardiola: ‘What do you mean “OK?” You absolutely rocked the house once again! You were sensational, Josh! Sensational! I’m so proud of you.’
Kimmich would go on to rack up 26 appearances for the Bavarian side in the 2015-16 season and was deservedly selected to feature in Joachim Low’s bid to win the European Championships in France. Just 18 months ago, most German fans wouldn’t have heard about the former Stuttgart product but now, he was the man most fans were looking forward to. His first opportunity in the tournament would come against Northern Ireland in the group stages in another unfamiliar role at the right-back position.
The place came to him at the expense of usual starter Benedikt Howedes, who was suspended for that clash – he wouldn’t get his place back. Kimmich put on another fine display and was voted as the man-of-the-match that day. He would keep his place for the rest of the tournament, as Germany went on to the final four before being knocked out by hosts France.
Kimmich, however, was so good in his new role that he made it onto UEFA’s Team of the Tournament – a testament to the man’s growing quality.
The 21-year-old probably used Guardiola’s talk at the Westfalenstadion to fulfill his potential. Since that day, he has played in two of the hardest positions of the sport and he’s been excellent in each of them.
But under new manager Carlo Ancelotti, he’s unearthed some more brilliant qualities in a new role.
He has always cited ex-Bayern Munich icon Bastian Schweinsteiger as one of his heroes and the arrival of the Italian manager allowed him to emulate his role model.
Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, Kimmich has been deployed in midfield, playing as a deep-lying playmaker – often known as the ‘regista’ role, made famous by some of the greats in the game like Andrea Pirlo, Paul Scholes or current teammate Xabi Alonso.
And, just like in the other roles, Kimmich has taken his performances to the next level. Now, he has added some more goals to his game – seven so far this season including a late winner against Hamburg, two in the Champions League against Russian outfit FC Rostov and his first for the national side in a World Cup Qualifier against Norway in a 3-0 success away in Oslo. His fine performances have also kept out the likes of Javi Martinez and €35 million signing Renato Sanches, a prominent member of the Portugal’s Euro 2016 champions.
“He’s a lucky player because he can play many different positions.” – Current Bayern Munich manager, Carlo Ancelotti
Such is the talent and versatility of the man that he is able to cement a starting spot in one of the most powerful midfield setups in the world and he makes the world forget that he was a mere €7 million signing from a club that was languishing in the lower leagues of German football.
He was never supposed to break Ancelotti’s preferred midfield trident of Arturo Vidal, Thiago Alcantara and veteran Xabi Alonso, but now, not only has he made it into the first team, he is keeping some of the most experienced players out of it.
One can only wonder how far Joshua Kimmich can make it in the footballing world. He has got the talent, the tenacity and certainly the skill to go far, despite not having a permanent ‘strong’ position. Whether he is going to replace Phillip Lahm on the right side or Mats Hummels at centre-half, or even Xabi Alonso in midfield in the long-term is yet to be seen, but for the time being, the watching audience should gulp in the magnificence of this fantastic young footballer.
