As of: March 1, 2024, 11:45 a.m
By: Niklas Kirk
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In over 400 competitive games as a professional, Joshua Kimmich met all the greats of football.
One in particular remains in his memory.
Munich – If anyone knows the business, it’s Joshua Kimmich.
The Rottweiler native has been lacing up his boots for FC Bayern since 2015.
In addition to his current 374 appearances for the German record champions, there are another 82 appearances for the DFB team.
In his career he met the most top-class opponents in football.
Now the 29-year-old revealed which opponent he particularly remembers during all this time.
Joshua Kimmich at FC Bayern: internationally tested against world stars
There are several candidates here.
Because Kimmich had to compete several times in the Champions League or with the national team against calibers like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Kylian Mbappé.
Whether as a defensive midfielder or in the unpopular right-back position, Kimmich always had to face tricky tasks.
However, in a quick round of questions on the national team's social media channels, when asked about his toughest opponent, Kimmich named a name that not every football expert would have thought of
straight away
.
A picture from days gone by: Joshua Kimmich fights for the ball with Alvaro Morata. © IMAGO / Bernd Müller
Joshua Kimmich and Álvaro Morata: Statistics speak for the Spaniard
Bayern star Álvaro Morata boasts with a serious expression.
The Spanish striker - currently under contract with Atlético Madrid after stints at Real Madrid and Chelsea FC - is still proving his goal threat even at the advanced footballing age of 31.
This season he scored 19 goals in 35 competitive games and contributed three assists.
If you look at the statistics of the two stars, you can also see why Morata doesn't trigger the best feelings in Kimmich.
The Spaniard managed to score in all three direct encounters.
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Kimmich versus Morata: One step ahead in the Champions League, only a draw with the DFB team
Their paths crossed for the first time in the 2015/16 season when Kimmich and FC Bayern met Juventus in the round of 16 of the Champions League.
The striker scored a goal in both the first leg in Italy and the second leg in the Bavarian capital.
However, Bayern had the better end (2:2 and 4:2 n.V.) and moved into the quarter-finals.
The last encounter was embedded in the inglorious Qatar World Cup, where Germany and Spain met in the group stage.
In that 1-1 draw, Morata scored the goal shortly after coming on as a substitute to give the team a 1-0 lead.
Reason enough for Kimmich to let his “toughest opponent” break his streak in future encounters.
(
nki
)