InterviewAfter ten years at Real Madrid, Toni Kroos is primarily left with the affection he receives from the people thanks to his performances and draws a comparison between his graduation in the Spanish capital and that of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. The 34-year-old welcomes the fact that Luka Modrić is still active. He draws a positive conclusion about his DFB comeback.
Foto: Jose Jordan/AFP via Getty Images“> Enlarge
“I am in the hearts of people who love football”
COLOGNE. Real Madrid is currently preparing for a new season – for the first time since 2013, however, without a certain Toni KroosAfter a decade with the Royals, the 34-year-old midfielder announced his retirement in May, which finally came on July 5 with the elimination in the quarter-finals of the European Championship.
As a Real star, he said goodbye to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu at the beginning of June with 23 trophies under his belt. But are the ten seasons in the ranks of the most prestigious football club in the world worth more than all the silverware?
“These go hand in hand. If you are not successful, then it won’t last ten years. If you want to be an integral part of this club for such a long time, then you have to deliver. That is the demand. One thing is what is written on the autograph card. The other is how people treat you. I am in the hearts of people who love football. You get back that you have done a lot of things right for ten years. The enthusiasm that the fans show you is hard to describe. That is something special.”said Kroos in an interview with the sports magazine KICKER on the occasion of his award as Germany’s Footballer of the Year 2024.
Toni Kroos: Conclusion on DFB return “all-round positive”
The playmaker recently experienced similar enthusiasm from the fans as part of the German national team. Despite being knocked out in the round of the last eight at the tournament in his home country, Kroos’ conclusion on his interim return to the DFB is “all around positive” out of: “I am happy to have taken this step. And happy with how we presented ourselves, as a team and as the host country. I hope the national team can carry this spirit into the future.”
Like Kroos, Cristiano Ronaldo was also eliminated in the quarter-finals of the European Championship. Portugal’s world star is still active at the age of 39, although he has been winding down his career in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of 2022. His former long-time rival Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) also did not think it was a good idea to stop at the peak.
“They are addicted to success throughout their careers. It never ends. And they have decided not to stop at the peak – like 95 percent of all players – but to enjoy football a little longer, and that is a good way to go. And if they are happy with that, then everything is fine. But it is also clear that for Cristiano, for example, things have never been the same as they were at Real. I am sure he sees it exactly the same way himself.”said Kroos about CR7, who did not win the Champions League, the Ballon d’Or or the World Footballer title again after leaving Madrid in July 2018.
Toni Kroos: Luka Modrić “wants to enjoy it to the end”
The two most important individual awards that year went to Luka Modrić, who despite being almost 39 years old still plays for the Blancos and is now even captain after the departure of Nacho Fernández. Kroos: “I think he wants to make the most of it and play it to the full. That was never my idea. But it’s nice if he has the opportunity to play for another year. And he has accepted his role, in which he plays less. That wouldn’t have been my way. He sees it differently, he can play at a good level and stay at Real. There isn’t just one right way.”
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Six years after Modrić, the Greifswald native could also receive a personal award, even if he is only given an outside chance in the vote for the winner of the FRANCE FOOTBALL Golden Ball and the FIFA World Player title compared to Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham.
The now former professional would be anything but upset if he did not emerge victorious. “It is not a title I have strived for. But that has nothing to do with the fact that I have never won it. The profile of the world footballers was always similar. But it did not match my profile. But there were often world footballers in my team: Cristiano Ronaldo, Modrić, (Karim) Benzema. So I helped make it. If we had become European champions, there would have been a chance.”so Kroos.
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Interview
Kroos: “For Cristiano it was never the same as at Real”
After ten years at Real Madrid, Toni Kroos is staying with the people above all because of the affection he receives thanks to his performances and draws a comparison between his graduation in the Spanish capital and that of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. The 34-year-old welcomes the fact that Luka Modrić is still active. He draws a positive conclusion about his DFB comeback.
05.08.2024, 02:00
