The bitter World Cup elimination against Paraguay apparently hit Joshua Kimmich particularly hard. According to a report in Der Spiegel, the captain of the German national team didn’t leave the team hotel until a day and a half after the elimination—as the last player from the DFB delegation to do so.
While his teammates gradually made their way home or headed off on vacation, Joshua Kimmich remained at the DFB headquarters in Winston-Salem. As *Der Spiegel* reports, the FC Bayern midfielder stayed at the hotel for about a day and a half after the team’s elimination in the round of 32 against Paraguay.
According to the report, the 31-year-old found it difficult to simply put the disappointing tournament behind him. Instead, Kimmich is said to have engaged in intensive discussions with members of the DFB staff and asked if there was still anything he could do. In addition, according to the report, he “repeatedly apologized for the elimination.”
For the Bayern pro, this was already his third World Cup—and once again, the tournament ended in major disappointment. After being eliminated in the group stage in 2018 in Russia and in 2022 in Qatar, Germany was knocked out this time in the round of 16 following a 4–5 loss in a penalty shootout against Paraguay.
Despite this latest setback, Kimmich made it clear immediately after the elimination that he does not want to end his career with the national team. “I’ll always have the drive to try again. What I’ll never do is give up.”
“I just feel empty.”
Two days later, the DFB captain also spoke out with emotional words on Instagram. “Right now, I just feel empty, and I don’t feel like reaching out at all. But facing these situations is part of the deal. Together, we planned to play a very successful World Cup, represent Germany with dignity, and make a small contribution to positive change in our country. And we failed. Again. And that’s really getting to me.”
During the tournament, Kimmich had been deployed primarily as a right back under national team coach Julian Nagelsmann—even though the Bayern star has seen his future in central midfield for years. The personnel decision sparked debate even during the World Cup and is likely to be further scrutinized following the team’s early elimination.
