Joshua Kimmich reveals his unexpected childhood football idol
Bayern Munich and Germany star Joshua Kimmich shared childhood memories, naming his unexpected football idol, reports Bild.
As a child, young Joshua admired the game of Krassimir Balakov, the Bulgarian midfielder who played for Stuttgart for 8 years and won the DFB-Pokal with the club in 1997.
Kimmich also looked up to Sami Khedira and Mario Gomez, who were pivotal in Stuttgart’s surprising Bundesliga title win in 2007. Both players went on to enjoy stellar careers beyond Stuttgart. Khedira moved to Real Madrid, where he won the Champions League in the 2013/14 season, and Gomez later joined Bayern Munich. Khedira also became a World Cup winner with Germany in 2014.
Before joining Bayern, Kimmich progressed through Stuttgart’s youth academy before moving to RB Leipzig in 2013. Just two years later, in 2015, he made the step up to Bayern Munich. Since then, he has played 413 matches, scoring 42 goals for the Bavarian giants.
Kimmich has developed into one of Bayern Munich's key players and is widely recognized as their leader. With Bayern, he has won 8 Bundesliga titles and lifted the Champions League trophy in the 2019/20 season.
Yasmine Green
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
