Kimmich bereaved before Bayern Munich’s match against Arsenal

The death of Joshua Kimmich’s father has brought grief to the Bayern Munich midfielder ahead of the match against Arsenal. German media report that Berthold Kimmich died aged 57 following complications linked to a sudden heart attack. The club confirmed that its player would miss the fixture, scheduled for the Allianz Arena, without identifying the deceased relative, out of respect for the family’s privacy.

Kimmich, captain of Germany’s national team, missed team training on Tuesday for personal reasons. Bayern Munich subsequently confirmed that he would not be in the squad for the match. German media, citing people close to the player, identified his father as the person who had died. Berthold had supported his son throughout his career and was one of his strongest backers.

From Kimmich’s childhood, his father encouraged his early steps in football and regularly took him to Stuttgart to watch matches and training sessions, despite the long journeys involved for the family. Kimmich later played for Stuttgart and Leipzig before joining Bayern Munich. He became one of the world’s most prominent midfielders and went on to lead Germany’s national team.

The club sent its condolences to the player: « The entire Bayern Munich family stands with Joshua Kimmich and offers him its sincere condolences ». Bayern also asked that the privacy of the player and his relatives be respected during this difficult period.

Kimmich’s absence comes ahead of an important fixture for both teams. Arsenal are second in the Premier League with 18 points after seven matches. They have won six of those games, drawn none and lost one, scoring 11 goals and conceding five. Across their last five league matches, their record is four wins and one defeat.

At home, Arsenal have won all three of their Premier League matches, scoring seven goals and conceding two. Away from home, they have three wins and one defeat in four games, with four goals scored and three conceded. Their league average stands at 1.57 goals scored and 0.71 conceded per match. Bayern must now prepare for the fixture without one of their key players, while Arsenal arrive with a strong league record.