Kimmich rallies Germany: 'Do something now to win games'

Kimmich: 'We have to do something now to win games'

Joshua Kimmich has sent a clear message to the Germany squad ahead of the World Cup. "I hope that everyone here wants to become world champion. But it won't get us very far if we only want it. We have to do something now to win games. That's where we should start," the captain said (5).

The timing is deliberate. Germany open their home World Cup against Curaçao on Sunday, June 14, live on ARD (3) (4). This is not a squad that can drift into the tournament on good intentions. Kimmich knows it.

Where Germany stand before kickoff

A pre-tournament power ranking places Germany near the top of the contenders list, with Spain installed as favourites (6). But BFW writers are less bullish, their collective prediction has Germany exiting in the Round of 16, while Spain, France, and the Netherlands go deeper (9).

The tension is real: ranked like contenders, predicted like pretenders.

Nagelsmann under the microscope

Julian Nagelsmann's squad decisions have drawn fire. Some analysts warn his creative approach and unpopular calls could cost Germany at this tournament (1).

The human stories behind those decisions are striking. Assan Ouédraogo revealed his late call-up came after Nagelsmann initially doubted him, asking if he was drunk when the news broke (12). Lennart Karl's World Cup dream ended before it began, ruled out by a torn muscle fiber. Lothar Matthäus, stunned by the omission, believes the setback can strengthen Karl's character.

What is at stake

DFB treasurer Rettig confirmed the financial reward for a title win. "If the team becomes world champion, there will be more than in Qatar, because significantly more is coming in, I won't stand in the way of that," he said. Players stand to earn around 430,000 Euro each (10).

Bayern pride and a buy-back

Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer reflected on a Champions League campaign where his side lost only to the two finalists, PSG and Arsenal. "The first leg [5–4 loss] against Paris was one of the best games of the past few decades. We only lost two games in this Champions League, against the two finalists. That shows the quality that FC Bayern has," Hainer said (11).

Bayern also inserted a buy-back clause on Maurice Krattenmacher, who joins SV Elversberg permanently (7).

Klose, from goals to the dugout

Miroslav Klose, the 2014 World Cup winner, is now head coach of FC Nürnberg (8). A reminder of the legacy this tournament can build.