Official: Joshua Kimmich takes the #6 jersey as Thiago moves to Liverpool

According to Bild, Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich is set to wear the #6 jersey for the team’s Bundesliga opener against Schalke. He inherits the number from Thiago Alcantara, who is set to complete a move to Liverpool in the coming hours.

The change in number isn’t a huge deal, but it does tell us that Kimmich is going to be a permanent midfielder going forward. Even though he was world class at right-back this season, even assisting the winning goal in the Champions League final for Bayern, Kimmich has always wanted to be a permanent midfielder. Both Hansi Flick and the Bayern bosses see him as the future of the club at defensive midfield, and his presence is one of the major reasons why the Bavarians are relaxed about losing a player of Thiago’s quality.

So, it makes sense that Kimmich would choose the #6 as soon as it became available. However, it’s going to take some getting used to. After so many years of seeing the same players wear the same numbers, Bayern have a new #6, a new #7, and a new #10 all taking the pitch at the same time. Generational shifts are hard for fans to stomach, but given that the club just won a treble, I’d say that Bayern are handling it beautifully.

Update

It’s official!