Bundesliga
"Kimmich will shape Bayern as a club" - Flick
After scoring the winning goal in Bayern Munich's thrilling 3-2 defeat of Borussia Dortmund in the 2020/21 DFL Supercup, Hansi Flick spoke of Joshua Kimmich’s importance to the club's present and future.
For the second consecutive competitive meeting with Dortmund, Kimmich showed his big-game-player to score the goal to clinch victory over Bayern's Klassiker rivals.
On Matchday 28 of last season, it was his incredibly inventive chip that set Bayern on their way to a ninth successive Bundesliga title with three points at the Signal Iduna Park, and on Wednesday his desire and never-say-die attitude shone - earning him some luck along the way - in scoring the all-important Supercup-winning goal.
For Bayern head coach Flick, there isn't a player who embodies the Bayern spirit better than Kimmich.
"As long as I've known him, his mentality is very special," Flick said of Kimmich after the Supercup victory at the Allianz Arena. "He is well on his way to being one of the players that shape this club."
Kimmich has already become a cult hero at the club merely for the passion his shows in every second on the pitch. The Germany international can so often be seen barking orders at teammates while staying fully focused on the job at hand.
His celebrations have even become iconic, with the right-back turned central midfielder unearthing a scream of joy so loud that it even scares his teammates on occasion.
That passion that the 25-year-old VfB Stuttgart youth product puts on display in every game makes it even harder for Flick to give him a rest when needed.
"I always think about when I can give him a break," Flick said. "But then I have to expect he'll be angry. He always wants to be on the pitch."
Kimmich has already made over 200 appearances for the record Bundesliga champions since his arrival from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2015. With has five German top-flight titles, three DFB Cups and a UEFA Champions League winner's medal - as well as being recently crowned UEFA's Defender of the Year for 2019/20, Kimmich's mantlepiece at Bayern is quickly piling up.
And now, with the club's iconic No.6 accompanying his name on the back of his shirt, Kimmich is ready to lead and shape the future of Bayern with success, trophies and screams of joy at the forefront of it all.