The rest of the world can only look on in envy at the talent development system in Germany. Performance centres, footballing elite schools, training bases, amateur clubs. Depending on individual ability, every talented player receives the best available training. But how specifically does talent development work? How do the kids and teenagers of today become the World Champions of tomorrow? What does the work at the performance centres, the elite schools and the base camps entail? DFB.de takes a look behind the scenes.
Under the spotlight: the young Joshua Kimmich, who once upon a time received a special permit to take an early step up to a DFB training base . His development coach Martin Schneider remembers the double winner and Germany international’s years as a footballing apprentice.
Martin Schneider remembers his first encounter with the talented youngster vividly. It was in September 2005, when he arrived at the Baden-Württemberg DFB training base. "He was actually a year too young to take part in the sessions. But seeing as the entire region was raving about him, we went to the effort of getting a special permit. It was good that we managed to get it," said Martin Schneider.
Almost eleven years later, the player, about whom the experienced youth coach likes to talk so much, picked up the German double with Bayern München last season, reached the semi-final of both the Champions League and the EUROS, and now has managers like Pep Guardiola and Joachim Löw raving about him. Joshua Kimmich is Germany’s shooting star, and when he made a good impression on the biggest European stage in France, Martin Schneider sat watching the TV with a big smile on his face. He saw very early on that Joshua Kimmich would one day be a footballing sensation.
"Obviously I couldn’t have predicted that he would wear the national team jersey. But his exceptional talent was noticeable very early on," said Martin Schneider. He was always impressed when he saw wiry, vibrant, energetic players sprint around the pitch. Most of all, however, it was Kimmich’s curiosity and eagerness to learn which stuck in his memory. "We placed a lot of importance on the learning of tactics at the training base. And if we ever asked a question to a group of lads, it was usually Joshua’s hand in the air first. He wanted to acquire an understanding of every formation and position," said the 62-year-old, who worked as a training base coach until 2014, and has since then been responsible for regional education, qualification and talent development of young players.
"Down-to-earth" Kimmich has remained in contact with his development coach
The training base paid off: in 2007 Kimmich moved from his home club VfB Bösingen to the VfB Stuttgart youth academy, but he remained in contact with his development in the following years and paid him regular visits at the DFB training base. Even when Kimmich played for RB Leipzig in the third and second division, he still met up with Martin Schneider. "Joshua is a real down-to-earth kind of guy. That’s why he often comes back to his home town. When he’s here, we see each other every now and then," said Schneider.
Kimmich’s attitude has been, in Schneider’s opinion, another key to success in his career, aside from his exceptional talent. "He obviously benefited hugely from the professional development programme in Germany," emphasised Martin Schneider, who experienced the grounding of these training bases and performance centres on the turn of the millennium. "This definitely improved the standard," said the experienced coach.
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The rest of the world can only look on in envy at the talent development system in Germany. Performance centres, footballing elite schools, training bases, amateur clubs. Depending on individual ability, every talented player receives the best available training. But how specifically does talent development work? How do the kids and teenagers of today become the World Champions of tomorrow? What does the work at the performance centres, the elite schools and the base camps entail? DFB.de takes a look behind the scenes.
Under the spotlight: the young Joshua Kimmich, who once upon a time received a special permit to take an early step up to a DFB training base . His development coach Martin Schneider remembers the double winner and Germany international’s years as a footballing apprentice.
Martin Schneider remembers his first encounter with the talented youngster vividly. It was in September 2005, when he arrived at the Baden-Württemberg DFB training base. "He was actually a year too young to take part in the sessions. But seeing as the entire region was raving about him, we went to the effort of getting a special permit. It was good that we managed to get it," said Martin Schneider.
Almost eleven years later, the player, about whom the experienced youth coach likes to talk so much, picked up the German double with Bayern München last season, reached the semi-final of both the Champions League and the EUROS, and now has managers like Pep Guardiola and Joachim Löw raving about him. Joshua Kimmich is Germany’s shooting star, and when he made a good impression on the biggest European stage in France, Martin Schneider sat watching the TV with a big smile on his face. He saw very early on that Joshua Kimmich would one day be a footballing sensation.
"Obviously I couldn’t have predicted that he would wear the national team jersey. But his exceptional talent was noticeable very early on," said Martin Schneider. He was always impressed when he saw wiry, vibrant, energetic players sprint around the pitch. Most of all, however, it was Kimmich’s curiosity and eagerness to learn which stuck in his memory. "We placed a lot of importance on the learning of tactics at the training base. And if we ever asked a question to a group of lads, it was usually Joshua’s hand in the air first. He wanted to acquire an understanding of every formation and position," said the 62-year-old, who worked as a training base coach until 2014, and has since then been responsible for regional education, qualification and talent development of young players.
"Down-to-earth" Kimmich has remained in contact with his development coach
The training base paid off: in 2007 Kimmich moved from his home club VfB Bösingen to the VfB Stuttgart youth academy, but he remained in contact with his development in the following years and paid him regular visits at the DFB training base. Even when Kimmich played for RB Leipzig in the third and second division, he still met up with Martin Schneider. "Joshua is a real down-to-earth kind of guy. That’s why he often comes back to his home town. When he’s here, we see each other every now and then," said Schneider.
Kimmich’s attitude has been, in Schneider’s opinion, another key to success in his career, aside from his exceptional talent. "He obviously benefited hugely from the professional development programme in Germany," emphasised Martin Schneider, who experienced the grounding of these training bases and performance centres on the turn of the millennium. "This definitely improved the standard," said the experienced coach.
