Toni Kroos announced his retirement from football after an illustrious 14-year career. Having won every laurel in the game, he retires as one of the greatest midfielders in the history of football. Since arriving at Real Madrid in 2014, Kroos has been a core member of the Spanish giants. He helped them to four Champions League titles and several other trophies during his stint with the Los Blancos.
There were expectations for him to be on the team for another year, but the German midfielder decided to pull the curtains on his fantastic career. Even in his final season with the club, Toni Kroos showcased his magic in midfield. He had a passing accuracy of 94%, which is the best among all the players in La Liga. The 34-year-old has topped this list in the last three seasons.
In a statement where he announced his retirement, Kroos said, “As I have always said: Real Madrid is and will be my last club”. “July 17th, 2014 – the day of my presentation at Real Madrid, the day that changed my life. My life as a footballer – but especially as a person. It was the start of a new chapter at the biggest club in the world.
After 10 years, at the end of the season, this chapter comes to an end. I will never forget that insolent successful time! I would particularly like to thank everyone that welcomed me with an open heart and trusted me. But especially I would like to thank you, dear Madridistas, for your affection and your love from the first day until the last one. At the same time this decision means that my career as an active footballer will end this summer after the Euro championship.”
Toni Kroos’ retirement might hurt Real Madrid
Toni Kroos’ departure means that the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham will now have to take the big step and lead the Madrid midfield. Luka Modric’s future is still not decided, but even if he continues with the team, the 38-year-old will not feature in all games. Kroos started 23 games for Madrid this season and his contributions were massive in all of them. There was no sign of him slowing down and his departure now means that the youngsters will have big shoes to fill.
Tchouameni, Bellingham and Camavinga were all playing different positions this season due to Real Madrid’s injury crisis. However, going forward they will be in the middle of the park for the Los Blancos as some big signings are coming into the club this summer. Having not spent enough time in their actual positions, the trio could take some time to get used to playing together in midfield.
Another reason why Kroos’ departure may hurt the team is the lack of veteran presence that they will be left with after he retires. Kroos, Luka Modric, Nacho Fernandez and Lucas Vasquez were the longest-serving players at the club during this season. With Kroos and Nacho set to depart, Modric and Vasquez’s future hanging in balance, the club could be without all these four veterans at the start of next season.
However, Real Madrid is still going to find ways to win as such is the history of the club. They have the likes of David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger who can hold players accountable, which will help them maintain a winning culture. The club will miss Toni Kroos in midfield, but the management had already begun steps to replace him and this is why him leaving won’t hurt them as much on the field as many expect
