Kimmich Addresses Vinicius Junior Feud Ahead of Real Madrid Clash
Joshua Kimmich has brushed aside talk of any lingering feud with Vinicius Junior, insisting the pair’s on-pitch flashpoints belong firmly in the realm of normal elite-level needle rather than genuine bad blood.
The Germany international, speaking ahead of Bayern’s clash with Real Madrid, rejected the idea that previous confrontations with the Brazilian forward carried any deeper meaning.
"It's being blown out of proportion," Kimmich told reporters, as quoted by Bild. "Of course, Real Madrid is also known for their game management skills. Time was on Madrid's side. Accordingly, everyone has their own strategies to run down the clock."
No apology. No backtracking. Just a seasoned competitor framing it as part of the job. For Kimmich, it was simply two winners colliding in the heat of a Champions League tie, each pushing every available button to tilt the night in their favour.
While that subplot continues to attract attention, Vincent Kompany has tried to pull the spotlight back onto the broader challenge of facing the European champions. The Belgian coach knows the individual brilliance waiting on the other side, but he refuses to reduce the occasion to a box-office double act.
Asked about the prospect of dealing with both Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe in the same Real Madrid side, Kompany steered the conversation away from selection gossip and towards the scale of the collective task.
"At this level, every team is dangerous," Kompany explained. "Every team can create something special. You can concede a goal, but you can also score one. You can't have a game plan against Real Madrid that completely neutralizes their individual qualities. That's why everyone comes to these matches. But I also believe you can't completely eliminate our own qualities from the game."
It was a reminder that these nights are rarely won by theory alone. Coaches draw lines on whiteboards; players redraw them on the pitch.
For Kompany, the key lies in refusing to let the aura of Madrid – or the noise around their stars – distort his own side’s identity.
"The most important thing is that you don't lose sight of what got you here in the first place. Tomorrow, we need total focus on the toughest match you can have in Europe, but we want to be 100 percent focused on how to win and how we want to win. I simply want us to win, and for the team to be fearless and show what they can do."
No obsession with damage limitation. No talk of survival. Kompany wants his players to walk into the cauldron not as extras in Madrid’s latest epic, but as protagonists determined to write their own chapter.
