Drama at Real Madrid! As the end of the season looms, observers were delighted with the return of the 34-year-old midfielder to the national team. Playing Euro 2024 organized in Germany, Kroos’ last challenge with the Nationalmannschaft is beautiful. But in Madrid, this farewell tour of the selection was not synonymous with the end of the game with Casa Blanca. At a time when everyone was seeing Luka Modrić (38) bow out, the opposite is ultimately likely to happen. At the time when the Croatian was offered a contract extension, Real Madrid has just announced that Kroos will retire from sport at the end of the season.
“Real Madrid CF announces that Toni Kroos has decided to end his career as a professional football player after Euro 2024. Real Madrid would like to express its gratitude and affection to Toni Kroos, a player who is already part of the “history of Real Madrid and who is one of the great legends of our club and world football”, indicates the official press release published on the Real Madrid website. Information confirmed by the main interested party on his Instagram account.
An XXL prize list
“I really thought about it for a long time, I thought about it for a long, long time and in the last few days I came to the conclusion that this season, this wonderful season, the tenth season with Real, also my last season with Real And everyone who has listened to me attentively in recent years has heard at one time or another the phrase that the only option for me is to finish my career at Real Madrid. And anyone who can add a plus one knows it too. That means that my last season at Real also means that it’s over at Real this summer, and finished with football. I just realized that it’s a lot easier than saying it yourself and sitting here and getting goosebumps. It’s supposed to be special. And if, like me, you started playing football at the age of six and managed to do so to some extent until the age of 34, then that is, above all, if football has always been at center of attention, it was just a very important decision and that’s why it’s not so easy to make today. But she was touched and I can now understand this feeling of being very happy on one side and very sad on the other.”
On Saturday June 1, Toni Kroos will play his very last match with Casa Blanca. As a symbol, it will be a fifth Champions League final with the Merengues (after 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022), the sixth of his career (2013 with Bayern Munich). Arriving in Madrid in 2014, the German international undoubtedly dreams of saying goodbye to football with a C1 and a Euro in his pocket. Two potential trophies which would fill his trophy cabinet which includes, among others, 3 Bundesligas, 4 Ligas, 5 Champions Leagues, 6 Club World Cups and 5 UEFA Super Cups. Simply extraordinary.
