Joshua Kimmich: The Master of All

Joshua Kimmich has been at his dominant best this season, taking his game to another level. We analyse what exactly makes him tick.

How good Kimmich actually is can also be seen in the fact you don’t see much of what he does. Anyone who’s watched a Bayern game in 2025 will have noticed that our No.6 is rarely in the picture when the team attack or press high. Instead, he’s observing things from just in front of his back line. Defensive stability has been the foundation for Bayern’s impressive Bundesliga campaign, conceding 20 percent fewer goals than last season. And Kimmich’s disciplined play has been crucial in that. At the same time, he patiently builds up play from the back and knows exactly when he can put the opposition under pressure with forays forward. None of his midfield colleagues play more passes – not Pedri from Barcelona, not Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha. Nobody plays more passes into the attacking third. No one creates more shots on goal. He has changed his game and raised it to a new level.

Kimmich's engine runs at full speed in every game. He’s clocked up the fourth most distance of any player in the Bundesliga. If you could measure passion, he would lead this ranking by a huge margin. In a conversation with his father Berthold in a TV documentary about him, Kimmich sighed: “We're now sitting here again, and then you always say: ‘At the end of the day, it's just football’.” – “Exactly, that's my saying.” – “I'd like to see it like that too.”

A question of mentality

Bayern have rarely had a player who is so versatile. A player who develops his skills in different positions, in central defence and at full-back, as a holding midfielder or a box-to-box. And who is now a complete player in his prime. When Kimmich came to Munich in 2015, some people were asking themselves what kind of player he is. Where should he go? In midfield like at Leipzig? On the wing? Pep Guardiola had other ideas. Ahead of the 2016 Champions League round of 16 tie against Juventus and the crucial Bundesliga clash in Dortmund, the usual centre-backs were injured. So Pep brought in Kimmich to plug the gap.

Kimmich seized his chance. After the final whistle at BVB - the game ended 0-0 - Guardiola stormed onto the pitch and grabbed Kimmich. Did he not understand the instructions when Medhi Benatia came on in the 90th minute? “You should have moved into midfield!” – “I'm sorry, I just didn't hear it,” explained Kimmich. “You should have moved in front of the back four and held your position,” scolded Pep. He then gave Kimmich a big hug. “Thanks, Pep, it wasn't easy, but it worked out well.” – “Not good, great! You're amazing, Josh, really amazing.”

Kimmich later said: “With Pep, I found the centre-back position very interesting because it was a lot about building up the game, a lot about man-to-man defending and making decisions.” He used his time in the position to acquire the relevant skills. And Kimmich is a quick learner. Guardiola used him in a total of eight different positions. As if he wanted to send the young player on a crash course to become an all-rounder.

Nine years later, in the 2024/25 Champions League round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen, Kimmich showed what he has learnt since then - and that he is far more than a mini-Mascherano. He took opposing playmaker Florian Wirtz out of the match, either shadowing him or skilfully closing off passing channels. Conversely, when in possession, Kimmich repeatedly stepped out with tilting and turning movements, skilfully moving between the lines. He is always ready for the ball, keeps the machinery running with short passes and shifts play to the sides with precise delivery. Kimmich nipped attempts to counter-attack in the bud, won many second balls, won aerial duels in the style of a centre-back before Harry Kane made it 1-0, and hit the cross from the left of the pitch which Jamal Musiala converted to make it 2-0.

Jack of all trades?

In English, there is the expression ‘Jack of all trades’ for someone who is very good at many things. The saying continues with ‘master of none’. Applied to football, it means a player who is valuable in many positions but outstanding in none. Some have also criticised Kimmich in this way. Should he restrict himself to his role as a right-back? After all, he is currently playing in this position in the national team, also where he won the Champions League with Bayern in 2020. And if he really wants to be a holding midfielder, why is he trying his hand at so many attacking moves that are more suited to a box-to-box player or No.10?

Kimmich has provided the answer to those questions in 2024/25, bringing together all the defensive and attacking skills he has developed in so many positions in his new central role. He drops in next to the centre-backs in the build-up play, often acts cautiously and holds a defensive position. At the same time, he organises the press and knows exactly when he can push forward to create goalscoring opportunities with pinpoint passes, chipped balls, crosses or his own shots. He himself says: “With the experience you've gained over the last 10 or 12 years, you have to know when you need which tool.” For Kimmich, the ‘Jack of all trades’ saying needs to be reformulated. Josh is the ‘master of all’.

This is an abridged version of an article in the latest edition of members’ magazine ‘51’: