German World Cup Runner-up on Kimmich: "Not a world-class player"!

Criticism of the German national team continues unabated!

Former international and German TV pundit Dietmar Hamann is now taking sharp aim at Joshua Kimmich.

"He's had five tournaments in a position of responsibility now, and he's failed five times. He's never made it past the quarter-finals, yet he stands there and says he's not running away. That has nothing to do with running away; it's about taking responsibility," he said on the "TOMorrow Business" podcast.

Hamann adds: "That has to do with self-awareness. From a player like him, I expect him to take responsibility and say, 'I've tried everything - and you can't fault him for that - but I haven't succeeded, so I'm stepping aside for now.' That's what I would expect."

Hamann calls for resignation

The former player, who finished as a runner-up with his team at the 2002 World Cup, becomes even more direct: "I believe Kimmich should no longer play a role in the national team. We need to give other players a chance."

He is thus calling for a shake-up in the team: "We simply have to play with the youngsters now, because we've been watching this for too long."

The 31-year-old DFB captain is a very good player, but not a "world-class player".

Kimmich himself, however, is not considering the demanded resignation. "I will always have the energy for a new attempt. What I will never do is give up," he is quoted by "Magenta-TV".