Toni Kroos has announced his international retirement after winning 106 international caps for 11 years for Germany and says he wants to concentrate on his role with Real Madrid.
Earmarked to the top after his performances at Germany below 17 level and as a teenager with Bayern Munich, Kroos not only won everything possible at club level but was crucial for Germany to lift the FIFA World Cup 2014.
“He has a really good overview of the pitch. You can cover his eyes with your hands, and he would still say that to the right, 50 meters away, is Thomas Müller and to the left is Mesut Özil, 25 meters away.” Stefan Reinartz, former teammate in Leverkusen and Germany
“Toni is very intelligent. Many times, when things go wrong, we usually blame the players who seem calmer or more technical. But these players are the bravest, the ones with the most courage. Toni is the bravest of them all in the most difficult moments. Pep Guardiola, former Bayern coach
“I’ve never seen [Kroos] lose the ball. His game is always elegant and efficient. He never has a bad day. He loves football and always wants to play. For me, gambling is the most important thing. Winning, yes, but playing is the most important thing and so it is for both of us. “Zinedine Zidane, former coach of Madrid
Zidane with Kroos / Soccrates Images / Getty Images
“Toni Kroos is a role model for the rest of the team in how he approaches his job. He always puts in the extra bit of work before and after training – he is a perfect professional”, Joachim Löw, Germany’s coach
Bayern & Leverkusen • Kroos joined Bayern 16 in 2006 from Hansa Rostock and in 2007/08 Ottmar Hitzfeld had promoted him to the first team.
• Kroos made his debut in Bayern on September 26, 2007 against Energie Cottbus and was then, 17 years and 265 days, the club’s youngest player ever, a record later broken by David Alaba.
Toni Kroos celebrates with Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski during his Bayern debut Bongarts / Getty Images
• Next month he made a late winner against Crvena zvezda on his European debut in the UEFA Cup.
• On loan to Bayer Leverkusen for 18 months from January 2009, he established himself as a regular.
Kroos in action for Leverkusen 2010 / JUERGEN SCHWARZ / Getty Images
• He returned to Bayern in 2010 and helped them reach the UEFA Champions League final in 2012 and to become better next season. However, Kroos missed the end of the 2012/13 triple season, including the UEFA Champions League final, by injury.
• He left Bayern for Madrid in the summer of 2014 after acquiring another German double as well as the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
Real Madrid • Kroos collected a trophy on his Madrid debut, the UEFA Super Cup, and also took part in Merengue’s FIFA Club World Cup triumph when he quickly settled.
• The midfielder was part of Madrid’s UEFA Champions League triumphs 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 and became the first German to win four European Cups. He also lifted the FIFA Club World Cup during those years.
• League titles were landed in 2016/17 and 2019/20, with Kroos now over 300 Real appearances.
Germany • Picked a year early at the level of 17 years, Kroos impressed at the U17 EURO 2006 and 2007 and drove Germany to the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup bronze, and was named MVP for the tournament.
Toni Kroos celebrates points against France at U17 EUROSPORTSFILE 2007
• His debut arrived against Argentina on March 3, 2010 and he went to this year’s World Cup and appeared four times including the quarterfinals and semifinals.
• Come UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier, Kroos was a regular match. In the final, Germany made the final four, with Kroos unusually detailed to mark Andrea Pirlo in a 2-1 loss.
• Kroos was in top position at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, set up the winner of the quarterfinals against France and then played in the 7-1 semifinal demolition of the hosts with two goals. He played all 120 minutes of the final victory against Argentina.
Kroos won World Cup 2014 / Martin Rose / Getty Images
• It turned out to be his only great honor with Germany, but at the World Cup 2018, his fantastic free kick winner in extra time against Sweden was a highlight in a disappointing title defense.
• He earned his 100th cap on 13 October 2020 in a UEFA Nations League match against Switzerland but bowed out after the UEFA EURO 2020 round 16 loss to England in June thereafter.
• At school in Evershagen, he played football barefoot in PE. His teacher Sieglinde Heimann told Die Welt: “Otherwise the others would not have had a chance.”
• Named in the UEFA Champions League squad for the season five years in a row between 2013/14 and 2017/18, and voted three times for the UEFA.com fans’ men’s team.
Toni Kroos became four times UEFA Champions League winner 2018UEFA via Getty Images
• Also in the teams’ tournament at the World Cup 2014 and UEFA EURO 2016.
• Carlo Ancelotti with the nickname Kroos “professor” at Real Madrid because of how well he had replaced the similarly monikered Xabi Alonso.
“I hope I will be in the reserve next year and then maybe I will be in Bayern’s first team in the next few years.” Kroos talks to UEFA.com at U17 EURO 2007
“I won a lot of trophies, I played with fantastic players and I worked with top coaches, so I have really good memories from Bayern.”
“I know you’re expected to win trophies at this club, but I’m the right man for it because I’m used to winning. Kroos when he joined Madrid
Kroos ended his international career after Euro 2020 / Soccrates Images / Getty Images
“With Zidane, I find myself in a situation where I can raise my level again. I can play better. And that’s largely his credit. The coach knows I can play deep in midfield or in a box-to-box role and a little more advanced. ”
“I want to focus fully on my goals with Real Madrid in the next few years. In addition, from now on I will consciously allow myself breaks that have not existed as a national player for 11 years.” Kroos on his retirement in Germany
• Kroos has another two years on his Madrid contract and after their first trophy-free season since 2009/10, he will want to put the returning Ancelotti right.
• He is currently 31 and if his plans after 2023 are unclear, he said in an interview last year: “Do not expect to see me play until I am 38.”
BavariaUEFA Champions League 2013 UEFA Super Cup 2013 FIFA Club World Cup 2013 Bundesliga 2008, 2013, 2014 German Cup 2013, 2014
MadridUEFA Champions League 2016, 2017, 2018 UEFA Super Cup 2014, 2017 FIFA Club World Cup 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 League 2017, 2020
GermanyFIFA World Cup 2014
