Jun 21, 2026 12:46 AM IST FIFA World Cup 2026, Germany vs Ivory Coast LIVE: Kimmich on Germany's hunger At the pre-match press conference, Germany's Joshua Kimmich spoke about the hunger of the current German team and where it came from.
"I thought we had an outstanding mix at the 2018 World Cup.
We had plenty of World Cup winners, but hungry players, too.
In the end, it didn’t help us much.
This time you also have to remember that, apart from Manuel Neuer, our entire squad is made up of players who haven’t won anything yet with the national side," Kimmich said.
"They have that special hunger and that special drive to achieve something amazing.
You can tell we have lots of players who really appreciate what it means to be here.
We often talk about what we remember as kids, following the national team at the World Cup, and the experiences and emotions that came with that.
Now the shoe’s on the other foot, and we’re playing at a World Cup.
We don’t always pick up all that much about how people back home are seeing things, but you just know this is something really special.
As a footballer, it doesn’t get better than this."
