Joshua Kimmich appointed new Germany captain

Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich has been appointed as captain of the Germany national team, and will take over the role from İlkay Gündoğan.

Julian Nagelsmann has made the decision to appoint Joshua Kimmich as the new captain of the Germany national team. The Bayern Munich midfielder is set to lead Germany's charge at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He succeeds İlkay Gündoğan as the Germany captain after the latter decided to retire from the national team after the European Championship.

Germany will start a new era under the leadership of Kimmich. The 29 year old has made a total of 91 appearances for the national team, and 393 appearances for Bayern Munich, and has the necessary experience and leadership skills required for the role.

Julian Nagelsmann: Joshua Kimmich the logical choice for Germany captain

Deputizing Kimmich will be Antonio Rüdiger of Real Madrid, while Kai Havertz has been named Germany's new third captain by Nagelsmann. The Germany head coach said that Kimmich was the logical choice to be the next captain of the national team.

"The captain is the team's second-in-command, the one who puts the team's opinion across to the coaching team. We tried to find players who have a good relationship with everyone in the team. We found a good mix with these three players. Josh was one of the three captains at the European Championships. Two of them are no longer there. That's why he's the logical successor for me," Nagelsmann said during his press conference on Monday.

Joshua Kimmich has been a regular part of the Germany squad since making his debut in 2016. He will have his sights set on leading the team to success at the FIFA World Cup in 2026. The versatile midfielder's first assignment as captain of Germany will come in the UEFA Nations League.