Replacement for Captain Kimmich: Four Candidates for Klopp

Due to Joshua Kimmich’s special leave, Jürgen Klopp must make another personnel decision. The national team coach has not yet announced who will replace the Bayern Munich player as captain of the national soccer team in the upcoming Nations League matches. 

“No idea—I haven’t given it a second thought. I’ll get around to it, I promise. In the end, someone will wear the armband,” Klopp had said on the subject when announcing his two rosters. Due to the separation of the squads, it was clear that Kimmich would not be playing on Thursday (8:45 p.m./ZDF) against Serbia in Munich or this coming Sunday (8:45 p.m./RTL) in the return match against Greece.

Kai Havertz, who served as Kimmich’s deputy under former national team coach Julian Nagelsmann, wasn’t scheduled to play during the second week of international matches either and is also out due to a muscle injury. Antonio Rüdiger, Kimmich’s second-in-command as captain, ended his DFB career after the World Cup this past summer. So a new captain must be found. None of the candidates have worn the captain’s armband for the national team yet. 

Serge Gnabry

The Munich native would be captain if a long-standing, unwritten rule were still in effect. In the past, the player with the most international appearances wore the armband. In the current squad, that’s Gnabry. He has played for Germany 61 times so far. The 31-year-old is currently still recovering from a muscle injury. Under Klopp, he was only used as a substitute in the first two games. That works against him as captain against Serbia. 

Florian Wirtz

With 46 international appearances, this soccer magician is the player with the second-most caps—and he’s only 23 years old. And yet, the captaincy isn’t a foregone conclusion for him. Wirtz isn’t a natural leader. Placing the burden of the captain’s armband on him could be counterproductive. Just a few days ago, Klopp vividly described how much pressure Wirtz felt at Liverpool FC due to the expectations placed on him. 

David Raum

Number three on the list of players with the most international appearances is David Raum. The Leipzig player has represented Germany 39 times so far. If Klopp selects him as the left fullback in the starting lineup, the captain’s armband would be an honor. By nature, the 28-year-old is a leader. He also wears the armband at RB Leipzig—and does so with pride. “I didn’t feel any additional pressure. On the contrary: I grew from it; it helped me,” he said. 

Nico Schlotterbeck

When Schlotterbeck was named interim captain at Borussia Dortmund, even his predecessor, Julian Brandt, praised him. The defender is doing a “great” job in the role. Schlotterbeck (30 international appearances) is the kind of player who leads by example and can motivate his teammates. The DFB captain’s armband would be more of an added incentive for him than a burden. During the World Cup, he stayed with the team even after suffering a serious injury. This has also helped him climb the ranks within the DFB hierarchy.