Joshua Kimmich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Joshua Kimmich

Kimmich with Bayern Munich in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Joshua Walter Kimmich
Date of birth	(1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth	Rottweil, Germany
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Right-back, midfielder
Team information
Current team	Bayern Munich
Number	6
Youth career
2006–2007	VfB Bösingen
2007–2013	VfB Stuttgart
2013–2014	RB Leipzig
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2015	RB Leipzig	53	(3)
2015–	Bayern Munich	281	(27)
International career‡
2011	Germany U17	2	(0)
2013	Germany U18	5	(0)
2013–2014	Germany U19	9	(1)
2014–2015	Germany U21	14	(2)
2016–	Germany	97	(7)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Germany FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2017 Russia UEFA European Under-19 Championship Winner 2014 Hungary
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:26, 25 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:52, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Joshua Walter Kimmich (born 8 February 1995) is a German professional footballer. He plays as a right-back or midfielder for Bayern Munich. He also captains the Germany national team.

Many people think he is one of the best midfielders in the world. He is known for being able to play in many different positions. He is also known for his strong play and for helping to create goals. Some have compared him to former Bayern and Germany captain Philipp Lahm.

Kimmich started his career at RB Leipzig's youth academy. He joined their first team in 2013. Two years later, he moved to Bayern Munich. In the 2019–20 season, he helped Bayern win three major trophies. This included the UEFA Champions League. He was then chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFA FIFPro Men's World11. He was also named the UEFA Champions League Defender of the Season.

Club Career

Starting Out

Joshua Kimmich played youth football for VfB Stuttgart. In July 2013, he joined RB Leipzig. Stuttgart kept the option to buy him back later. He played his first game in the 3. Liga on 28 September 2013. He came on as a substitute in a 2–2 draw.

He scored his first professional goal on 30 November 2013. This was in a 3–2 win against 1. FC Saarbrücken. He finished the 2013–14 season with one goal in 26 games.

Kimmich scored his first goal of the 2014–15 season on 1 March 2015. It was in a 3–2 win against Union Berlin. He ended that season with two goals in 29 games. Overall, he scored three goals in 53 league games for RB Leipzig.

Joining Bayern Munich

2015 to 2017 Seasons

On 2 January 2015, Kimmich agreed to join Bayern Munich. He signed a five-year contract. The transfer fee was about €7 million. Most of this money went to VfB Stuttgart.

He played his first game for Bayern on 9 August. This was in the DFB-Pokal (German Cup). His Bundesliga debut came on 12 September. He came on as a substitute against FC Augsburg. Four days later, he played his first UEFA Champions League game. This was against Olympiakos. He then started his first Bundesliga game, playing 90 minutes in a 3–0 win.

Kimmich played 23 league games in his first season at Bayern. He started 15 of these games. He also played the full 120 minutes in Bayern's 2016 DFB-Pokal Final win. They beat Borussia Dortmund in Berlin.

Kimmich during training with Bayern Munich, 2017

He started the 2016–17 season as a substitute. Bayern won 2–0 against Borussia Dortmund. On 9 September, he scored his first goal for Bayern. This was in a 2–0 away win against FC Schalke 04. Four days later, he scored two Champions League goals. Bayern won 5–0 at home against FC Rostov. Kimmich scored a late winning goal against Hamburger SV. He finished the 2016–17 season with nine goals in 40 games.

2017 to 2020 Seasons

After Philipp Lahm retired, Kimmich took over his position. He started playing as a right-back. He played in the 2017 DFL-Supercup and won the title. Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund on penalties. On 16 September, he gave three assists in a 4–0 win. He helped Thomas Müller, Arjen Robben, and Robert Lewandowski score.

On 9 March 2018, Kimmich signed a new contract. It would keep him at Bayern until 2023. He scored in both games against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final. However, Bayern lost the tie. Kimmich finished the 2017–18 season with six goals and 17 assists in 47 games.

On 12 August, Kimmich started the 2018–19 season. He played in the 2018 DFL-Supercup and won the title. Bayern beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5–0. He played in the first round of the German Cup. Bayern won 1–0. Kimmich also played in the first Bundesliga match. Bayern won 3–1.

Kimmich scored his first goal of the season on 15 December 2018. This was against Hannover 96. He played his 100th league game for Bayern on 9 February 2019. This was in a 3–1 win over Schalke.

Kimmich played every minute of all 34 Bundesliga matches that season. He scored two goals and had 13 assists. On 14 August 2020, Kimmich scored one goal and assisted another. This was in an 8–2 win over Barcelona. It was in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

On 23 August 2020, Kimmich made an important assist. He set up Kingsley Coman for the winning goal. This was against Paris Saint-Germain in the final. This was his first Champions League title.

2020 to 2024 Seasons

Kimmich playing for FC Bayern Münich in 2022

Kimmich started the 2020–21 season wearing the number 6 shirt. He also changed his position to defensive midfielder. On 30 September 2020, he scored the winning goal. This was in a 3–2 win over Borussia Dortmund. On 27 October, he scored the winning goal again. This was in a 2–1 away win in the Champions League.

On 23 August 2021, Kimmich signed a new contract. This keeps him at Bayern until 2025. On 24 January 2023, he scored a goal from far away. It equalized the match 1–1 in the 90th minute.

On 28 October 2023, he received his first red card in a senior game. This happened in the 4th minute. Bayern still won the game 8–0.

On 17 April 2024, Kimmich scored the only goal. Bayern won 1–0 against Arsenal. This helped Bayern reach the Champions League semi-finals. This was their first time since winning the title in 2019–20. In the second half of the 2023–24 season, he played as a right-back again.

Playing for Germany

Kimmich with Germany's under-19 squad in 2014

On 17 May 2016, Kimmich was chosen for Germany's team for UEFA Euro 2016. On 29 May, he played his first international game. This was in a friendly match against Slovakia. On 31 May, he was named in the final team. He was given the number 21 shirt.

On 21 June, Kimmich started for Germany in their final group match. He played at right-back. Kimmich remained Germany's main right-back. Germany reached the semi-finals. He was also named in UEFA's Team of the Tournament.

On 4 September 2016, Kimmich scored his first goal for Germany. This was in a 3–0 win over Norway. It was during a World Cup qualification game.

On 17 May 2017, Kimmich was chosen for Germany's team. This was for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. On 6 June 2017, Kimmich scored a great goal. It was an overhead kick in a friendly against Denmark. This helped Germany draw the game 1–1.

On 4 June 2018, Kimmich was chosen for Germany's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 17 June 2018, Kimmich played his first World Cup game. This was against Mexico. Germany lost the game 1–0.

On 6 September 2018, Kimmich started Germany's UEFA Nations League game. He played as a defensive midfielder. On 19 May 2021, he was chosen for the team for UEFA Euro 2020.

On 4 June 2022, he played the whole game in a 1–1 draw against Italy. He also scored a goal in this game. Ten days later, he scored another goal against Italy. Germany won that game 5–2.

On 10 November 2022, he was named in the team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On 7 June 2024, Kimmich was named in Germany's team for UEFA Euro 2024. In September 2024, he became the captain of the German national team.

How He Plays

Many coaches and experts praise Kimmich for his skills. They say he can play many roles. He is good at both attacking and defending. He is also described as a smart player. He has good technical skills and is quick. People call him a "winner."

He has been called a "Swiss Army knife of a player." This means he is very useful in many situations. His coach, Pep Guardiola, once called him "one of the best defensive midfielders." But he also played him as a right-back. He has even played as a centre-back sometimes. He can also play as a central midfielder or a deep-lying playmaker. This is because he can control the game from the middle of the field.

Guardiola said Kimmich "has everything a player needs." He is very smart and always tries to win the ball. He is strong in the air and sees open spaces well. He knows when to run forward and when to stay back.

Other players have also praised Kimmich's defending. He is good at winning the ball back. He has good timing for tackles. He can also dribble the ball well. He is not afraid to work hard. Some compare his playing style to İlkay Gündoğan or Philipp Lahm.

Kimmich is also good with the ball. He passes accurately and crosses the ball well. He can also shoot powerfully. He has said that Bastian Schweinsteiger, Xabi Alonso, and Xavi are some of his football heroes.

Personal Life

Joshua Kimmich married his long-time girlfriend, Lina Meyer, in 2022. They have four children. Their first child, a son, was born in 2019. Their second child, a daughter, was born in October 2020. Their third child was born in 2022, and their fourth in 2024.

Outside Football

Kimmich started an online project called "We Kick Corona." He did this with his Bayern Munich teammate Leon Goretzka. This project helps charities and hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At first, Kimmich chose not to get vaccinated against COVID. This meant he missed some important games for both Germany and Bayern. After getting COVID in November 2021, he said he regretted not getting vaccinated sooner. He then said he would get the vaccine.

In March 2023, he appeared in a German crime TV show called Tatort.

Career Statistics

Club

International

List of international goals scored by Joshua Kimmich

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	4 September 2016	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	7	Norway	2–0	3–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	6 June 2017	Brøndby Stadium, Brøndbyvester, Denmark	14	Denmark	1–1	1–1	Friendly
3	5 October 2017	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	23	Northern Ireland	3–0	3–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	4 June 2022	Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna, Italy	65	Italy	1–1	1–1	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
5	14 June 2022	Borussia-Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany	68		1–0	5–2
6	12 June 2023	Weserstadion, Bremen, Germany	77	Ukraine	3–3	3–3	Friendly
7	10 September 2024	Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands	93	Netherlands	2–1	2–2	2024–25 UEFA Nations League A

Honours

Kimmich celebrating the win of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
• DFB-Pokal: 2015–16, 2018–19, 2019–20
• DFL-Supercup: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022
• UEFA Champions League: 2019–20
• UEFA Super Cup: 2020
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2020

Germany U19

• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2014

Germany

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2017

Individual

• Fritz Walter Medal U19 Bronze: 2014
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016
• UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2016
• Germany national Player of the Year: 2017, 2021
• UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2017–18, 2019–20
• UEFA Champions League Defender of the Season: 2019–20
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2020
• FIFA FIFPro World11: 2020
• FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2020
• ESM Team of the Year: 2018–19
• Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2018–19, 2019–20
• VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
• Bundesliga Goal of the Month: May 2020, September 2020, December 2024
• IFFHS Men's World Team: 2020

See also

In Spanish: Joshua Kimmich para niños