Germany superstar Joshua Kimmich has revealed his return to Bayern Munich’s midfield after he was put aside due to Covid-19, then played out of position when the virus had depleted the squad of the Bundesliga leaders.
Kimmich had a superb display Sunday on his long-awaited return to Bayern’s midfield in a 4-1 romp away at Hertha Berlin having played their two previous league matches of 2022 at right back. He returned to his old position in defense when Bayern had nine players sidelined by positive Covid-19 tests prior to their 2-1 home defeat by Moenchengladbach in early January.
In Berlin, Kimmich had the ball 154 times, the most of anyone in the Bayern team, and worked tirelessly to win back possession on the few occasions Hertha had it. He pin-points accurate passes created scores for Mueller and Serge Gnabry, but there could have been more had Bayern not wasted a few chances.
Germany star during a past match at Bayern, via Getty Images
Unusually for him, Bayern’s star striker Robert Lewandowski, last week voted Fifa’s ‘The Best’ male player of 2021, failed to convert two clear chances. The Germany star bossed the midfield in Bayern’s away win which restored their six-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table.
He experienced a difficult end to 2021, missing Bayern’s last eight games of the year having first been quarantined as a contact case, then tested positive for Covid-19. In October, he admitted that due to personal concerns he had opted against vaccination, a disclosure that led to widespread criticism in the German media.
In December, Bayern made an announcement that Kimmich would not play again until this month due to lung damage caused by Covid-19, a concern for both Bayern and Germany, particularly as Kimmich is set to be an important player for the Mannschaft at the World Cup in Qatar.
Though his current vaccination status is unclear, last month Kimmich implied he has had a change of heart, however, he said he never felt effects anymore and openly made it clear on Sunday that everything is good on his side. Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said Kimmich left him in no doubt that he prefers to play in midfield and praised the 26-year-old’s performance in Berlin.
Joshua Kimmich during a past match, via Getty Images
The German star joined Bayern Munich on a five-year contract lasting until 30 June 2020, for a reported fee of €7 million, most of which went to VfB Stuttgart. He then made his debut for the club on 9 August, starting in the first round of the DFB-Pokal against FC Nöttingen. Pep Guardiola gave him his Bundesliga debut the following month on 12 September when he entered the match as a late substitute at home against FC Augsburg. Four days later, Kimmich made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League in Bayern’s tournament opener away at Olympiakos and he started in the Bundesliga for the first time three days thereafter, playing 90 minutes against SV Darmstadt 98 in a 3–0 victory.
He then ended his first season at Bayern having made 23 league appearances of which 15 were starts. He also played the full 120 minutes in Bayern’s 2016 DFB-Pokal Final defeat of Borussia Dortmund at the Berlin Olympiastadion on 21 May. During the 2016–17 season, he started by coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 win against Borussia Dortmund in the 2016 DFL-Supercup, and On 9 September, he scored his first goal for FC Bayern in a 2–0 Bundesliga, away win at FC Schalke 04.
The Germany star played in the 2017 DFL-Super cup and won the title as Bayern defeated their arch-rival Borussia Dortmund on 5–4 penalties after the extra time ended 2–2. On 16 September, he provided overall three assists to Thomas Müller, Arjen Robben and Robert Lewandowski’s goals to defeat 1. He managed to score each goal in both the first and second leg in the Champions League semi-final tie against Real Madrid, but his side was knocked out from the competition on 4–3 aggregate.
On 12 August, Kimmich started the 2018–19 seasons by playing in the German Super Cup and also won the title as his side defeated Eintracht Frankfurt with a 5–0 victory. The following week, on 18 August 2018, he played in the 1–0 win against SV Drochtersen in the first round of the German Cup and played in the opening match of the Bundesliga season against 1899 Hoffenheim on 24 August 2018 with Bayern winning the match 3–1.
Joshua Kimmich and team mate during a past match, via Getty Images
The Germany international played every single minute in all 34 matches in the Bundesliga and scored two goals finishing second in the league with 13 assists. On 14 August 2020, Kimmich scored one goal and provided an assist in an 8–2 win over Barcelona in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League quarter-final. On 23 August 2020, Kimmich made an important assist for the winning goal against Paris Saint-Germain by Kingsley Coman in the final,[49] to be his first Champions League title along with his teammate Serge Gnabry, another VfB Stuttgart academy product.
During the 2020–21 seasons, he began by acquiring the number 6 shirt, after Thiago Alcântara, who had worn it for seven years, departed for Liverpool. On 30 September 2020, he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win over Borussia Dortmund in the 2020 DFL-Super cup. On 27 October, he further scored the winning goal in a 2–1 away victory over Lokomotiv Moscow in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League. On 23 August 2021, Kimmich signed a new contract with Bayern, keeping him at the club until 2025.
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