Milestone for DFB captain
Now Kimmich has even overtaken Beckenbauer
October 11, 2025 – 11:52 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Where does Joshua Kimmich play in the DFB team? The team captain now only has jokes when answering this question. At the same time, he continues to build his legacy.
A double pack, a win and a casual saying: Joshua Kimmich had every reason to be in a good mood in the 4-0 win against Luxembourg. After the success and the jump to the top of the World Cup qualifying group, the captain of the national team appeared relaxed – even in the discussion about his position on the pitch.
Once again, the Bayern professional was moved from central midfield to the right side of defense. Kimmich was then asked where he prefers to play. His answer: “Actually in the goal,” he said and laughed.
Now 30, Kimmich is still ambitious – but no longer as stubborn as he was when he was younger. He emphasized in Sinsheim that he now “doesn’t care at all” what position he is in for the DFB team. He also doesn’t think it’s necessary for national coach Julian Nagelsmann to make a clear decision. “As far as I’m concerned, the coach doesn’t have to make a decision,” said Kimmich.
Nagelsmann praised his captain’s flexibility: “He can perform both positions well, even at short notice. I have a lot of exchanges with my captain. I can also move him somewhere else half an hour before the game, he can do it well.”
Against Luxembourg, Kimmich also played a key role in the game from the right side and scored twice. First he confidently converted his third penalty for the national team, then he scored shortly after the break to make it 4-0, crowning his impeccable performance.
Kimmich’s efforts were also not irrelevant for the history books. With his 104th international match, he overtook Franz Beckenbauer (103 appearances) in the all-time rankings – and presented himself proudly: “Everyone knows what he has done for German football, what a legend he is. That’s a very nice number,” said Kimmich.
Overall, Kimmich is in eleventh place in the all-time rankings with 104 appearances. However, with the game against Northern Ireland next Monday he will probably draw level with Jürgen Kohler, who is in tenth place with 105 appearances, and will take sole tenth place with the last two games of the World Cup qualification in November. Lothar Matthäus is still the record national player with 150 appearances in the DFB jersey.