Max Kruse Questions Joshua Kimmich’s Leadership Role

Max Kruse has never been shy of a strong opinion. At 38, the former Germany international has stepped back from the pitch, but not from the debate. And right now, his gaze is fixed firmly on Jürgen Klopp’s new-look national team – and on Joshua Kimmich in particular.

Kruse questions Kimmich’s captaincy aura

Klopp has named an XXL squad of 44 players as he begins his tenure with Germany, a bloated group that, to Kruse’s eye, is missing something crucial: real, rugged leaders. The kind who leave a mark, not just a quote.

He aligned himself with a long-running argument once pushed by former DFB boss Oliver Bierhoff – that the national team has been stripped of its sharper personalities.

One name sits at the heart of that debate. Joshua Kimmich. Bayern’s captain, Germany’s supposed on‑field general. Kruse simply doesn’t see it.

“For me, Joshua Kimmich is not a leader player either, despite the armband at Bayern,” said the 14-cap international, cutting straight through the usual deference that surrounds the Bayern midfielder.

Kruse then spelled out what leadership means to him on the pitch. It is not, he stressed, a piece of fabric on the arm or the occasional crunching tackle. It is broader, deeper, more demanding. “Leadership is not shown only through the captain's armband and hard challenges, leadership is so much more. For me, Kimmich is not the right man for that,” he made clear.

For Kruse, the issue goes beyond one player. He sees a DFB squad that has been “smoothed out”, a group short on distinctive characters, short on edges. In his view, the national team has traded volatility and personality for polish – and lost something vital in the process.

Klopp all-in on Kimmich in midfield

On the other side of the debate stands Klopp, unwavering. While the public discussion rumbles on, Germany’s new coach has already made his call. Kimmich, in his eyes, is not just part of the team. He is a central pillar.

Klopp plans to use Kimmich where the player has always believed he belongs: in the heart of midfield. At the World Cup, necessity pushed the Bayern man out to right-back. That compromise is over.

“We see him as a midfielder,” Klopp stated. Clear, uncluttered, and without a hint of doubt. “We have not had a single conversation in which we spoke about him as a right-back.”

The message is unmistakable. Kimmich will be asked to organise the defensive midfield again, to be the hub around which Germany’s structure turns. If Kruse questions whether he has the aura of a leader, Klopp is doubling down on his importance in the engine room.

But backing comes with demands. Klopp has already raised the bar for his captain.

“Stability only comes from the defence, from how you work defensively – and for that I need every single one,” he underlined as he announced his squad. The commitment, he said, must be collective. “The point now is that we commit ourselves to that. That applies to Jo just as it does to everyone else.”

The challenge is set. Kruse wants rougher edges and louder personalities. Klopp wants defensive steel and total buy‑in. Kimmich stands in the middle of that argument, with an armband at Bayern, a coach’s trust with Germany, and a growing chorus asking whether he can truly be the leader this new era demands.