Toni Kroos absolutely wants to prevent the national team from being knocked out again early in the tournament at the European Football Championship in Germany this year. “If we are eliminated in the preliminary round, I can’t put a green tick behind it,” said the 34-year-old about the goal of his comeback in the DFB selection after almost three years. Talking about winning the title is “possibly presumptuous,” added the Real Madrid star after the first training session on Tuesday in Frankfurt. But: “I would certainly be happy if we were active in the tournament in one or two knockout rounds.”
National coach Julian Nagelsmann persuaded the 2014 world champion to make a comeback in the DFB team. Kroos played his last of 106 international matches at the 2021 European Championship in the round of 16 in England. In terms of fitness, Kroos feels ready for the demanding additional task. “Physically I don’t feel any wear and tear at all. “It’s like, I have confidence in it,” he said. Nagelsmann plans to use him as a leader in the central defensive midfield. Captain Ilkay Gündogan is moving into a more offensive role. Joshua Kimmich was moved back to the right wing-back position.
In training that Tuesday, Kroos fit right back in as if he had never been away. He joked with Thomas Müller and was the linchpin of the passing exercises in a very intensive session. When asked what role his grandfather played in the decision to make his DFB comeback, Kroos replied: “I had to convince my grandfather. Without his approval it wouldn’t have happened.”
Kroos did not want to comment specifically on his plans for the period after the European Championships – but a continuation of his national team career was not ruled out. He hasn’t given it “any thought” yet. First of all, he has to decide whether he wants to extend his contract with Real Madrid. “I’m certainly not going to be brought out of complete retirement,” he said. He will make the decision about continuing his career with the Royals as he did last year. “There’s no problem with that at all. “Last year too I made a late decision,” he said.
Right back in the middle of it all: Toni Kroos at the start of the national team’s training in Frankfurt: Image: dpa
Meanwhile, the debate about the color choice of the national team’s jerseys leaves Kroos largely unaffected. Of course he thinks the jerseys for the home European Championships are both “great”. And yet the Real Madrid professional has a clear preference: “My favorite jersey will always be white, I really like white,” said the 34-year-old and grinned. Sure: white is the traditional jersey color of his Spanish employer and the DFB. In addition, Kroos has only played in white shoes for a long time – a trademark of his.
But Kroos doesn’t have to get used to the pink away jersey of the DFB selection, which is currently causing a lot of fuss, especially on social networks. Real have also been playing away regularly for many years with a purple shirt. For Kroos the discussion is exaggerated. “The jerseys are only as good as we play,” he said.
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The DFB presented its new jerseys the previous week. During the European Championship test in France, the classic white jersey will be worn in Lyon on Saturday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for international matches and on ZDF), and on Tuesday (8:45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for international matches and on RTL) against the Netherlands the pink shirt is used.
