Football leader at Bayern?
Ballack counts Kimmich – “There has been a little bit of him lately”
Status: 06.03.2024 | Reading time: 2 minutes
“I have the impression that Tuchel is taking a more pragmatic approach”
FC Bayern confidently advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. “It was the way that rightly impressed many people,” says BILD and WELT sports director Matthias Brügelmann. The Munich team’s appearance could have several positive effects.
Is Joshua Kimmich a leading player at FC Bayern and in the national team? Michael Ballack has a clear opinion on this. The ex-national player sees Kimmich as responsible and has some advice for the 29-year-old.
Michael Ballack was considered a natural leader throughout his career. The midfielder was known for becoming louder on the pitch when things weren’t going well for his team. Even as an expert at the streaming service DAZN, the former Bayern professional does not shy away from strong opinionated statements. Joshua Kimmich from FC Bayern is now feeling this.
Before the round of 16 game between Real Madrid and RB Leipzig, Ballack is asked how the return of Real’s superstar Toni Kroos to the DFB will change the hierarchy of the national team. The 49-year-old expert talks about Kimmich. “For me, Joshua is a bit of a personality that I don’t understand. Nor did he himself, in a difficult time, finally step in front of the cameras and make his demands louder. You don’t always have to play outstandingly to be a leader and have this claim.”
Ballack then explains his thoughts: “You can still articulate this from time to time in the process of finding your personality, and for me recently he was simply too quiet and endured too much discussion. That’s what I expect from him as a leader, no matter where he plays.” For the former national player, one thing is certain: If Kimmich wants to take a leadership position in the national team and at Bayern, he should express himself more clearly in public. This also has an influence on younger players.
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“But if he wants to be the leading player and he can be that, he has already proven that at Bayern, he should simply be more active, also outwardly. Because, that’s important. The younger players need players like that to pull themselves up and as I said, there hasn’t been much of him recently,” said Ballack.
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At the home European Championship next summer, national coach Julian Nagelsmann is planning to have Kimmich as a right-back. The Bayern professional actually prefers to play in central midfield, but has so far accepted Nagelsmann’s decision without much resistance, at least publicly.