Kimmich’s Redemption

Joshua Kimmich is a silent footballer who screams on the pitch. Except for one very notorious case, he does not usually make headlines or come to the fore due to prominent statements or strong transfer rumors. However, everything changed last December when it was leaked that he was not vaccinated. That brought fatal consequences: Bayern Munich put pressure on him, they cut the floor, he contracted the disease and the coronavirus left him with mild pulmonary infiltrations. Fortunately, he is now fully recovered and back to what he does best: speaking on the pitch. In addition, he has closed the controversy with a slam and has stated that he will be vaccinated when possible.

Meanwhile, he is already under the orders of Nagelsmann and, of course, has not lost his skills in his absence. Against Hertha Berlin he gave an unexpected recital, in what was one of the best individual performances so far this season. He touched the ball 154 times, which implies the best record of a footballer in the Bundesliga in this 2021/22. Completed 114 passes, with 91% accuracy. He managed ten successful innings, won nine duels against his rivals, signed seven opportunities under his creation, received four fouls, generated three dangerous chances, made two decisive cuts in defense and gave two assists.

Numbers that try to reflect his full impact on Bayern’s game, both defensively and offensively. His coach lined up Gnabry and Coman as lanes and left Sané as a free verse inside. In addition to the usual Muller and Lewandowski, Tolisso accompanied him in midfield. On him, therefore, fell a lot of responsibility for containment in the face of the inevitable carelessness of his bandmates.. Also in the elaboration to find arrivals from the sides. He embroidered it and gave the goals to the aforementioned Muller and Gnabry. After the COVID controversy and his sick leave, it was his best game.

In fact, the specialized portal SofaScore rated his performance with a ten. This is not only unusual, but they rate hundreds and hundreds of games around the world every weekend and the second best score was 9.3, from Ogbeche, a Hyderabad footballer who scored two goals. The German midfielder, on the other hand, did not see a goal, but it was enough to take the highest and most unusual score. Of course, it is his best assessment this campaign. Until now, the most common was a 7.5 and on a few occasions it had reached 8.

Worldwide recognition

His controversy does not hide the high level of footballer. Kimmich is considered one of the best midfielders on the planet and the backbone of one of the favorites to win the Champions League. As a sign of its recognition, Carrusel Deportivo offered its listeners the eleven with the best eleven soccer players on the planet. Aritz Gabilondo, a journalist for AS, included the German international in his line-up. Also the AS columnist Axel Torres and the French correspondent for AS, Andrés Onrubia. Most of the participants agreed to the entry of the Bayern footballer in the eleven type, even more popular than other world stars like Lewandowski or Karim Benzema.

However, his low media profile sometimes takes its toll on him when it comes to receiving awards. Kimmich was not part of the best XI FIFPro that was announced at The Best gala. He was surpassed by Jorginho, Kanté and Kevin de Bruyne. He was also not in the final round of candidates, which was chosen by a committee of FIFA experts. The Ballon d’Or also forgot him. In the final cut of 30 footballers released by France Football, the Bayern midfielder was not there and yes other names like Barella, Bonucci, Chiellini, Luis Suárez, Sterling, Kjaer or Kane. The talented 26-year-old footballer doesn’t seem to care too much. He stays on his own, shining on the field, where he earns tens and makes us forget everything external that took its toll on him weeks ago.