Joshua Kimmich is yet again under fire for Germany. Bayern Munich’s star midfielder was heavily criticized for his performances as Germany crashed out of the 2026 World Cup in the Round of 32, making it a grand total of 3 consecutive World Cups without a single knockout round victory with Kimmich as a regular starter. Is it fair to pin most of the blame on Kimmich? Germany has debated that for around half a decade now, and seems no closer to a general consensus.

Meanwhile, though, the frustration at Germany’s record with Kimmich has combined with recent impressions from the September international break, in which Joshua Kimmich and Felix Nmecha struggled in midfield before leaving the squad for the final two games, and after seeing Aleksandar Pavlović and Tom Bischof excel in the absence of Kimmich. Germany’s captain under Julian Nagelsmann is arguably now under more pressure than ever before.

But former Germany midfield great Lothar Matthäus has chosen to stand by Kimmich. After the latter joined him after Bayern’s 6-1 thrashing of Rasenballsport Leipzig, the World Cup winner defended his compatriot: “[Kimmich is] an absolute leader, not just today but has been for years. If you are a leader at Bayern Munich, you can take on that role in the national team as well,” Matthäus emphasized (Sky Sport via

). “Everyone respects him and looks up to him. He makes the difference in decisive moments and brings energy, personality and presence. On top of that, he has outstanding footballing ability. You simply cannot do without a player like him. I hope this debate finally dies down. He can lead and guide his teams, and he has a great relationship with his teammates. He has everything it takes to continue playing this role both at Bayern and in the national team.”

Kimmich was certainly grateful to hear such support: “I really appreciate it coming from you.”

At this point, Kimmich has been at Bayern for over a decade and will know how to deal with all the pressure and negativity that comes one’s way at FC Hollywood. But one can imagine it can still help to hear such praise from such a huge personality.