The former Germany international believes Aleksandar Pavlović and Felix Nmecha would be his preferred central midfield pairing if the national team were playing a World Cup final tomorrow.
Hamann delivered his assessment on Sky’s Sky90 programme after debate intensified around Kimmich’s position under new Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp. The Bayern Munich midfielder remains captain, but Hamann expects his place in the team to come under increasing pressure.
“I believe Kimmich will come under a lot of pressure there and that the captaincy question will eventually resolve itself because other players will be playing,” Hamann said.
“For me, there is no question that if we were playing a World Cup final tomorrow, Pavlovic and Nmecha would start in the middle.”
Hamann’s argument centres on where Kimmich is best suited to play. He pointed to the decisions of three previous Germany coaches, Hansi Flick, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann, who have all used the 31-year-old at right-back rather than consistently relying on him as a defensive midfielder.
“Three coaches with outstanding abilities. And now someone wants to tell me that he is world-class in the middle?” Hamann asked.
Kimmich has continued to play centrally for Bayern under Vincent Kompany, but Hamann questioned whether that selection reflected the player’s qualities or the alternatives available to the club.
Asked about Kompany’s decision to use Kimmich in the holding role, Hamann replied: “Because he has no others.”
The distinction matters because competition for Germany’s midfield places has widened. Hamann believes Pavlović and Nmecha offer alternatives who could challenge Kimmich for a starting position, particularly as Klopp assesses his options following his first matches in charge.
His criticism also extended to Kimmich’s international record at major tournaments. Germany exited the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in the group stage and were eliminated by Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. Their 2026 World Cup campaign has added another early exit to that record.
“We have now been knocked out early four times. How many more chances does he want?” Hamann said.
Hamann had expected Kimmich to consider retiring from international football after the latest World Cup disappointment. Instead, the midfielder remains part of the national-team picture, with his leadership and position now under scrutiny.
The comments represent Hamann’s assessment rather than a decision by Klopp to remove Kimmich from the starting XI or strip him of the captaincy. For now, the debate is over whether Germany’s captain remains the strongest option in the centre of midfield.