Marc Roca says Joshua Kimmich has been his ‘biggest supporter’ at Bayern Munich as he preps for Leeds United move

Marc Roca is getting ready to depart Bayern Munich for Leeds United in the Premier League this summer. The deal is worth €12 million plus add-ons and it will keep him at Leeds until 2026 after he spent two seasons at Bayern Munich after joining from Espanyol in October 2020.

Roca’s time at Bayern has not been covered in glory, but his fortunes have not at all been aided by the amount of injury setbacks he’s faced in Munich, not to mention having to adjust to a new manager in Julian Nagelsmann after Hansi Flick left to take the German national team job.

With such a packed midfield already at Bayern, Roca’s chances were few and far between despite his cavalier attitude to keep his head down and put in the work to try and earn his place in the team. Having to compete for minutes with Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Corentin Tolisso, Marcel Sabitzer, and Jamal Musiala is no easy task and the arrival of Ryan Gravenberch from AFC Ajax wouldn’t have made matters any better for the Spaniard.

Per a recent report from Leeds Live, Roca credits working alongside Kimmich at Bayern as one of the key factors that’s helped him be ready for his move to the Premier League. He referred to Bayern’s number 6 as his “biggest supporter.”

“There were a lot of players who helped me here. One of my biggest supporters is Joshua Kimmich. He’s playing at the same position as me, but he’s always there for me. When I came to Bayern, he took me aside and explained what was expected at this club and what I had to do,” Roca explained.

Photo by S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty Images

It’s no secret that Kimmich is slated to be the next bearer of the captain’s armband for both Bayern and Germany, and he would probably already be wearing it if it weren’t for the presence of both Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer in both setups. Touching base on that same sentiment, Roca commented on what a leader Kimmich is in Bayern’s squad and touted him as one of the best players in the world right now. “Joshua is a great leader in our team. For me he’s one of the best players in the world. I love the mentality of this club. Every player wants to win every game. Every player wants to improve on a daily basis. No player rests on success. Every day at FC Bayern is a challenge. It’s impressive to train alongside all these superstars,” he said.