Joshua Kimmich is only 22 years old, but he’s already a leader and crucial part of the German national team. And that hasn’t been overlooked by the fans. They have voted the highly touted young defender as their 2017 player of the year. The Confederations Cup winner spoke to DFB.de about what it means to have been recognised by the fans and outlined his aims for the coming year.
DFB.de: Joshua, congratulations on being chosen as the 2017 player of the year. Is this an omen at the start of a World Cup year?
Joshua Kimmich: It’s a huge honour to be selected as 2017 player of the year by the fans. I think it’s particularly special, because Germany has so many world class players. I’m really thankful to everyone who voted for me. I don’t think it’s an omen, but a really good incentive to keep giving my all for my country.
DFB.de: How do you look back on how Germany performed in 2017?
Kimmich: “We played really well as a team and thanks to winning the Confederations Cup and qualifying for the World Cup, had the almost perfect year. I played in every second of every game apart from the final one of the year against France, so I’m very proud of that. I always gave my all to pay back my teammates and my coaches for putting their trust in me. I’m really happy that I’ve managed to play such a big part of what was a very successful year.
DFB.de: What were your personal highlights with Die Mannschaft in 2017?
Kimmich: The highlight without a doubt was the Confederations Cup! We travelled as a young team with a lot of young players and we managed to inspire people in a short space of time, who were not really interested beforehand and they got behind us. The win in the final against Chile was a really special moment!
DFB.de: Hand on heart – did you think that you’d be able to do more than just establish yourself in the national team last year?
Kimmich: Of course! It was my goal in the season before to establish myself at my club and to get as many appearances as possible. I always want to carry on improving and there is always room for improvement. At the end of the day, the basis of establishing yourself in the national team is to play regularly for your club and put in good performances week in, week out.
DFB.de: What are your targets for 2018 with the national team?
Kimmich: The focus is clearly on the World Cup in Russia. That is the big goal for us all. And you need to stay fit and healthy for that! My childhood dream was always to win the World Cup. We have the chance to do that this year because we have an incredible squad. But we also know that lots of things have to fall into place for that to happen and ultimately, it’s all about how we perform on the day!
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Joshua Kimmich is only 22 years old, but he’s already a leader and crucial part of the German national team. And that hasn’t been overlooked by the fans. They have voted the highly touted young defender as their 2017 player of the year. The Confederations Cup winner spoke to DFB.de about what it means to have been recognised by the fans and outlined his aims for the coming year.
DFB.de: Joshua, congratulations on being chosen as the 2017 player of the year. Is this an omen at the start of a World Cup year?
Joshua Kimmich: It’s a huge honour to be selected as 2017 player of the year by the fans. I think it’s particularly special, because Germany has so many world class players. I’m really thankful to everyone who voted for me. I don’t think it’s an omen, but a really good incentive to keep giving my all for my country.
DFB.de: How do you look back on how Germany performed in 2017?
Kimmich: “We played really well as a team and thanks to winning the Confederations Cup and qualifying for the World Cup, had the almost perfect year. I played in every second of every game apart from the final one of the year against France, so I’m very proud of that. I always gave my all to pay back my teammates and my coaches for putting their trust in me. I’m really happy that I’ve managed to play such a big part of what was a very successful year.
DFB.de: What were your personal highlights with Die Mannschaft in 2017?
Kimmich: The highlight without a doubt was the Confederations Cup! We travelled as a young team with a lot of young players and we managed to inspire people in a short space of time, who were not really interested beforehand and they got behind us. The win in the final against Chile was a really special moment!
DFB.de: Hand on heart – did you think that you’d be able to do more than just establish yourself in the national team last year?
Kimmich: Of course! It was my goal in the season before to establish myself at my club and to get as many appearances as possible. I always want to carry on improving and there is always room for improvement. At the end of the day, the basis of establishing yourself in the national team is to play regularly for your club and put in good performances week in, week out.
DFB.de: What are your targets for 2018 with the national team?
Kimmich: The focus is clearly on the World Cup in Russia. That is the big goal for us all. And you need to stay fit and healthy for that! My childhood dream was always to win the World Cup. We have the chance to do that this year because we have an incredible squad. But we also know that lots of things have to fall into place for that to happen and ultimately, it’s all about how we perform on the day!
