Yussuf Poulsen and Joshua Kimmich (l-r.) will renew acquaintances when RB Leipzig take on Bayern Munich in the DFB Cup final. - © imago images / Sven Simon
Yussuf Poulsen and Joshua Kimmich (l-r.) will renew acquaintances when RB Leipzig take on Bayern Munich in the DFB Cup final. - © imago images / Sven Simon
bundesliga

"I learnt a lot from Joshua Kimmich" - RB Leipzig's Yussuf Poulsen

xwhatsappmailcopy-link

Yussuf Poulsen says he has come a long way since his early days at RB Leipzig where he played and shared a flat with now Bayern Munich ace Joshua Kimmich.

Poulsen and Kimmich moved to Leipzig from Brondby and the VfB Stuttgart U19s respectively in summer 2013. They played and lived together for two years, before Kimmich switched to Bayern.

Poulsen remained at Leipzig, but soon joined his former flatmate in the Bundesliga ranks as Leipzig's swift ascent of the German football ladder culminated in a maiden promotion to the top flight in 2016. The pair remain friends to this day, and are set to face off in Saturday's DFB Cup final.

"Jo was a lot more professional than I was. His motto was: there must be order," recalled Poulsen in an interview with goal.com. "He'd already spent a couple of years in the VfB Stuttgart academy, so I learnt a lot from him.

"We're different people, so things developed over time. Jo, for example, became more relaxed - and I became more professional.

"We'll probably stay in touch for the rest of our lives. That's something of an exception in football."

Poulsen and Kimmich (l-r.) won promotion from the 3. Liga to Bundesliga 2 with Leipzig in 2014. - imago/Picture Point

An exception for two exceptional talents. Kimmich has lifted four Bundesliga titles and become a full Germany international since swapping Leipzig for Bayern, while Poulsen has helped establish Die Roten Bullen as a bona fide Bundesliga force to be reckoned with. The Saxony outfit secured a third successive season of European football after finishing third in the Bundesliga in 2018/19, and can claim the first major trophy of their whirlwind 10-year history with victory over Bayern in the DFB Cup.

Poulsen's contribution has been marked. The Denmark international goes into the final in Berlin on the back of his most prolific season to date as a professional, having scored 19 times in all competitions so far this term. He recently became the fourth Danish player in Bundesliga history after Ebbe Sand, Thomas Christiansen and Alan Simonsen to score 15 goals in a single campaign, and was only outdone in the Leipzig charts by strike partner-in-crime Timo Werner (16 Bundesliga goals).

"Timo scores a lot of goals every season," Poulsen said, before discussing the secrets behind their ever productive partnership. "We understand each other so well because we've played together for three years. We've got to know each other really well and know exactly what we have to do in order to bring each other into play. We've laid on a lot of goals for one another."

Watch: Poulsen and Werner combined to devastating effect against Hertha Berlin on Bundesliga Matchday 27

Ralf Rangnick deserves much of the credit for the Poulsen-Werner combo's fruitful output. The 60-year-old old brought both players to the club in his role as sporting director and, this season, stepped into the dugout as a stop-gap coach ahead of Julian Nagelsmann's summer switch from Bundesliga rivals Hoffenheim. Poulsen, for one, has nothing but positives to say about the Leipzig chief.

"Ralf Rangnick is a fantastic person, and he's brilliant at what he does," the Dane enthused. "The cup final is his last game [as coach], but he'll still be at the club and working closely with us. He'll resume his work as sporting director again in the future. He's very good at that job, too. You only have to look at the players we've signed in recent years."

Poulsen says Leipzig will be in safe hands with Julian Nagelsmann (l.) in the dugout and Ralf Rangnick (r.) behind the scenes. - AFP/Getty Images

Rangnick is also responsible for acquiring the services of coveted young coach Nagelsmann, whom Poulsen believes "will be a great fit" at Leipzig.

"I've heard he's a top coach," he explained. "You get that impression from the football his teams play. He's about interesting and attractive football. He's young - like our club and a lot of the players here - and can really improve players.

"It will definitely be a challenge because he is very demanding. He only wants the very best - but that's also what you need to improve every day. Hopefully he'll prove to be the right coach for us for years to come."