Joshua Kimmich was always going to be a leader at Bayern Munich. He was already barking orders at his teammates as a 20-year-old under Josep Guardiola in 2016, which spoke of his truly fearless nature. As the former VfB Stuttgart midfielder became a regular starter at Bayern and then the main midfielder for the club at the heart of the team, his leadership responsibilities simply grew.
But with that growth came a cultivation of that leadership and, over the years, Kimmich has learned how to refine
his style to get the most out of everyone.
“I demand a lot, but I also try to lead by example,” he explained to Sports Illustrated’s German division in a recent interview (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “I’ve come to understand and accept that you can’t expect the same from everyone. That’s not the way to get the most out of everyone. Of course, you need guidelines and rules that apply to everyone. But within that framework, you have to treat everyone somewhat individually.”
Kimmich and his capabilities as a leader will face their biggest test yet in the summer, as he heads to the World Cup for his first major tournament as Germany captain. There, he will hope to inspire the troops just as he described to finally put an end to Germany’s embarrassing World Cup failures.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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