Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka were this week presented with the award as German Football Ambassadors 2020 for the #WeKickCorona campaign they created earlier this year. A top panel of experts led by long-standing kicker editor-in-chief Rainer Holzschuh and including former coaches within the Germany national team setup, Horst Hrubesch and Berti Vogts, had already awarded the honorary prize from the non-profit organisation of the same name to the two Germany internationals in May. The award ceremony took place this week at Säbener Straße.
Coronavirus prevents award ceremony at Federal Foreign Office
“It’s special to be rewarded for something that isn’t directly related to football and one’s own performance. We’re happy and grateful that we, on behalf of all those who have joined and entrusted us with their work, can continue providing help with #WeKickCorona even in this difficult period,” Kimmich emphasised after the award ceremony, which could not take place as in previous years at the Federal Foreign Office due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We would’ve like to hand over the awards again this year with the German Foreign Minister, but coronavirus makes that impossible, unfortunately. I’d like to thank the worthy winners – they had the greatest understanding for our decision to improvise due to coronavirus,” explained Roland Bischof, the founder of Deutscher Fußball Botschafter e.V. “We are honouring Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka with their campaign on behalf of all those who supported this great project through their commitment to provide rapid assistance.”
Over €5 million for 570 projects
Through their #WeKickCorona campaign, Goretzka and Kimmich have already raised over €5 million for social purposes and supported 570 projects. The two Bayern players have therefore sent out a strong message of social responsibility and have been honoured by numerous sources for their commitment. Just a few weeks ago, they received the “Special Award for Exemplary Commitment to Overcoming the Coronavirus Pandemic” as part of the 2020 Bavarian Sports Awards.
The Deutscher Fußball Botschafter e.V. was founded in 2012 and honours German players and coaches who contribute to the positive image of football and Germany through their actions and commitment.
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