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Tapped as the future captain of Germany, tonight Joshua Kimmich will take his place among past captains of Germany when he walks out on the Westfalenstadion. Löw’s decision to give the armband to Kimmich, already Germany’s vice-captain, is the most explicit indication that Kimmich will presumably get the armband when current captain Manuel Neuer decides to hang up his boots. From a very young age, Kimmich has displayed exceptional leadership both on and off the field, and this could not be a more deserving honor for him.
This development comes as no surprise, as Kimmich has long been viewed as the heir to Manuel Neuer for the captaincy of both FC Bayern Munich and Die Mannschaft. He will continue a great modern tradition of Bayern Munich players simultaneously captaining both Germany and Bayern. Kimmich will hope to follow the footsteps of current and past icons such as Manuel Neuer, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, and Oliver Kahn.
For today, let us enjoy the fact that Löw sees what we all have witnessed for quite some time: Kimmich is the right man to be Neuer’s heir apparent.
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