Germany’s Joshua Kimmich Talks Portugal and Milestone Cap Ahead of UEFA Nations League Final Four
As Germany prepares to take on Portugal in the UEFA Nations League Final Four, Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich has expressed his utmost respect for the Portuguese team, despite Germany’s favourable head-to-head record. According to Bavarian Football Works, Kimmich believes that history will count for little in the upcoming encounter.
"That’s not a topic for us in the team. It’s a new team compared to the one from 2021. Both teams have changed. It’ll be a completely different game," Kimmich said, as quoted by Bavarian Football Works. Germany has won 11 of their last 19 meetings against Portugal, but Kimmich is not relying on past results to inspire his team.
The German national team will look significantly different from the last international break in March, due to a slew of injuries. However, Kimmich remains optimistic about their chances. "We’re trying to focus on the players who are here. Of course it’s bitter and annoying that there are so many injuries, but there’s no point in talking about that because the players who are at home won’t help us. We still have a lot of quality and enough good players to win both games," he said, as reported by Bavarian Football Works.
Kimmich will earn his 100th cap for Germany on Wednesday, a milestone that he finds "a big honor". "It actually means a lot to me. It’s a big honor to have played this many games for Germany. It shows that I’ve been showing a very good level over the past 9-10 years, and thankfully also rarely injured. I’ve had many ups and downs with the national team, it’s a big honor to be here and hope there’s more to come," he said, as quoted by Bavarian Football Works.
When informed that he will be the 14th player to reach 100+ caps for Germany and the only one without a World Cup title, Kimmich had a chuckle. "There are still a few chances. That means we had World Cup campaigns where we weren’t successful," he said with a laugh. "We have to do better. We felt at the EUROs that there was a connection between the team and the country, even though we didn’t win the title. That’s the goal. I don’t know if it’ll be enough to win the biggest titles, it depends on many factors and small details. We’ll try to prepare well for the World Cup, we’re on a good path."
Kimmich also praised Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be more capped than him in the upcoming game. "I read that he scored 130 or 132 goals for the national team. There’s still a long way to go for that. Cristiano Ronaldo has crazy numbers, especially when you look at the consistency, he’s been playing at a very high level for over 20 years — he performed for his country. For me 100 caps already make me very proud," he said, as reported by Bavarian Football Works.
For more thoughts and analysis on the German national team’s match against Portugal in the UEFA Nations League Final Four, readers can check out the Bavarian Football Works podcast. Bavarian Football Works will provide all the latest coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany, and can be followed on social media @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast, @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @2012nonexistent, and @TommyAdams71.
