National squad - In 2006, Kimmich experienced a magical moment that matched his wish.
Joshua Kimmich competed in the 2006 Sparkassen-Cup finals, where amateur teams could join in. He was eleven years old and managed to reach the Germany final in Berlin with his friends. That day, Germany faced off against Argentina in the quarter-finals and emerged victorious through a penalty shootout.
Kimmich recalled this memorable event during the EURO 2020 quarters when the German national team was in Herzogenaurach, "It truly existed," he said, referring to that once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"We had the Sparkassen-Cup back then. Recreational teams were welcome to join. My friends and I made it to the Germany final in Berlin. And Germany was playing Argentina - it was the quarter-finals, to be precise - and they won on penalties," Kimmich's memory went back 18 years.
The enthusiastic atmosphere from that fairytale summer stuck with the youth player from Rottweil, Baden-Württemberg. "It was an incredibly positive and unique moment. Though I was a little too young to fully enjoy it, even at eleven, you could sense the excitement. It was particularly captivating near the fan area. There were so many extraordinary sights," summarized the defender of FC Bayern Munich.
Taking part in the home team at the EURO Championships is an absolute dream for him, "a childhood wish," added Kimmich, who has been playing in major tournaments with the national team since the 2016 European Championship.
He is determined to put in his best efforts to create a parallel to the 2006 World Cup, "Where Philipp Lahm scored the first goal." Kimmich, a right-back, asked if he could score that goal this time? He aspires to replicate that experience - not just at the Sparkassen-Cup.
DFB-team EM-schedule ^2: 1: https://www.deutschland.de/de/em-erfahrungen-20-jahre-later-879439 2: https://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/mencies-kimmich-erzahlt-von-mackenroth-und-dem-eid-2006-sparkassen-cup-finaliste-im-dfb-erwachen-475319
