Joshua Kimmich appeared visibly disappointed, almost dejected, after Germany was eliminated by Paraguay in the World Cup round of 32. However, the versatile Bayern star refused to make excuses and was harshly self-critical.

“I feel terrible. We didn’t face any top-tier opponents. Apart from the first match (ed. note: a 7-1 win over Curaçao), we had major problems against three teams that aren’t world-class. We deserved to be eliminated,” he emphasized.

“We wanted to make the Germans proud. When I was a kid, I grew up watching the national team always reach the semifinals and finals. We wanted to give that to today’s and tomorrow’s kids. The fact that we still can’t pull it off is unfortunate. People in Germany need something to be proud of right now, but unfortunately, the national team was unable to give them that. We have to take responsibility. We have to take responsibility, and no one can make excuses. We, the players, are the ones who take the field. It’s not the coach’s fault, nor the referee’s, nor the media’s, nor the opponent’s. It was our fault,” he added.

As for whether he believes he’ll have another chance to win a major title with Germany? “I’ll always have the energy to try again. What I’ll never do is give up,” replied the 31-year-old star.

*photo source: AR