Joshua Kimmich is a pretty smart guy. During his long career at Bayern Munich he has played with some of the absolute greats of the game, players who will make many a fan’s “Greatest of All Time” lists. So, who does Kimmich himself rate as his best possible Bundesliga XI?
Well, in a collaboration between 433 and the Bundesliga, Kimmich was asked to pick an Ultimate Bundesliga XI. His choices are… headscratchers, to say the least.
In case you can’t see the tweet (or refuse to use Musk’s terrible platform), here is who he picked:
Goalkeeper — Manuel Neuer
Defense — Philipp Lahm, Dayot Upamecano, Franz Beckenbauer, David Alaba
Midfield — Toni Kroos, Xabi Alonso, Florian Wirtz
Attack — Kingsley Coman, Jamal Musiala, Franck Ribéry
Wait, what?
Yeah, that selection is… not great. Let’s go down the list step by step, okay?
Goalkeeper
Kimmich got this one spot on. Manuel Neuer is the greatest keeper of all time and deserves to be in any Bundesliga XI.
Right-back
Again, spot on. Philipp Lahm is the GOAT.
Left-back
David Alaba is a good pick. Kimmich played with him for several years so familiarity definitely factors into this choice. Other candidates could have included current FC Bayern teammate Alphonso Davies, or Bayern Munich legend Paul Breitner .
Center-back
No one is going to argue against Franz Beckenbauer. He is inarguably the greatest ever defender to play the game and one of the best players in the world of his era. The same cannot be said for Dayot Upamecano. To be fair, the Frenchman is a key part of this current Bayern Munich team and is a well-rounded, modern center-back. However, he faces stiff competition from other league stalwarts, like Mats Hummels for example (who also played with Kimmich at Bayern).
This seems like a choice based purely on familiarity, nothing more.
Midfield
Toni Kroos? Fair. He may have reached the peak of his prowess at Real Madrid, but he had a very successful career at Bayern Munich as well. Xabi Alonso is also a fair pick, though he had declined by the time he played in the Bundesliga. Florian Wirtz, however, is a travesty. How do you pick 22-year-old who had a couple of great seasons in an “Ultimate” XI?
The Bundesliga had some truly amazing midfielders in the past, many of whom Josh has personally played with. From the older generation, Lothar Matthäus comes to mind, while Thiago Alcantara and Bastian Schweinsteiger deserve a shout from more recent times. If attacking midfielders are included, then Thomas Müller had ten times the career Wirtz did, and so did Kevin De Bruyne. Midfield is where Kimmich’s XI goes off the rails.
Attack
Franck Ribéry? Yes, solid pick. No arguments. Everyone else — are you kidding me? Kingsley Coman over Arjen Robben? JAMAL MUSIALA AT STRIKER? Ahead of Gerd Müller, Robert Lewandowski, and Harry Kane — the latter two being actual teammates Kimmich has played with. Like come on, how do you pick an XI without a striker? It feels like Kimmich just picked names out of a hat, or chose players he had a personal connection to. Fair, that’s his prerogative — is is HIS Ultimate XI after all, but the team he chose is truly pitiful and would struggle to beat the current Bayern Munich in a hypothetical game.
Josh, what were you thinking?
If you think you can make a better “Ultimate XI” than Kimmich, post yours in the comments!
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…
