Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Real Madrid enjoyed the ideal season in 2023-24, going all the way in the UEFA Champions League and La Liga. The men in white were dominant throughout and staggeringly lost just two games all season.
The one disappointment coming out of the campaign, however, was Toni Kroos’ decision to retire from the game while still at his peak. The German football will never play in a Real Madrid shirt again and the Euros this summer will be his final dance.
Ahead of his last ever tournament as a professional footballer, the Real Madrid legend spoke to Kicker about a plethora of topics including his retirement and the upcoming tournament in Germany.
He began exuding confidence over his side’s chances in the European Championships later this month, stating that they could even go all the way.
“Germany will win EURO 2024.”
The veteran superstar then spoke about the legacy he dreamt of leaving behind as a professional footballer and his opinion on whether he hit the benchmarks he desired.
“I want people to remember me as the 34-year-old Kroos who ended up playing his best season for Real Madrid. I accomplished that,” he said when asked to reason out his decision to retire.
Kroos was then directly asked if he ever felt sad about the reality of retirement that he opted to embrace, to which he said,
“Yes, it does and there will be such moments. I know there’s nothing else in life where I will develop as much talent as playing football.”
The Real Madrid midfielder will go down in history as one of the greatest ever to play the game, especially in German history as one of the players with the most titles for club and country. When asked about what that meant to him, Kroos said,
“That is actually very important to me. I always wanted to win titles. Ever since I started playing football, I wanted to be successful. Every single title was important to me, winning the CL was the big motivation before every season.”
Kroos then gave a sneak peek on what the future held for him, now that he is finally closing a chapter in his life.
“I will continue the podcast with my brother Felix. And I will continue to expand the Toni Kroos Academy for young soccer players in Madrid.”
“In September, the Icon League that I founded with Elias Nerlich will also begin. But it is also clear that I don’t choose 18 projects and I end up traveling as much as when I was active,” he added.
Finally, the maestro was asked to give his reply to haters and he responded with a one-line gem to shut the antagonists.
“They have an opinion. What I have done is facts.”
