Toni Kroos thanked the thousands of Real Madrid fans after his last big celebration at the legendary Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. “I have always felt at home during these ten years, I couldn’t wish for more.” When the midfield star left the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu pitch for the last time and his three children were waiting for him on the sidelines, he could no longer hide his emotions.
Rarely has a player been given such a farewell from the club as Kroos. “Gracias Leyenda” (Thank you, legend) was written on a huge poster, his teammates including Luka Modrić threw the 34-year-old into the air after the 0-0 draw against Betis Sevilla.
22 titles with Real Madrid
His time at Real is not quite over yet, and a big task still awaits him: next Saturday in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at London’s Wembley Stadium. For Kroos, it would be the fifth title in the competition wearing the Real Madrid jersey and the sixth of his career. In total, the 2014 German world champion has won 22 titles with Real.
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“He is a player who has done something extraordinary for this club. It is the farewell he deserves. He is one of the greatest,” said coach Carlo Ancelotti. “He always had a small ego and played for the team. We are lucky to have had him here for ten years.”
Kroos, who came to the Spanish capital from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014 for an estimated 30 million euros, played 464 games for the Spanish club. He scored 28 goals and provided 98 assists. In each of his ten seasons, he achieved a pass accuracy of at least 92 percent. “There is no player like Kroos with his qualities on the market, but we have to replace him with something else,” said Ancelotti.
Only the European Championship title is missing
Kroos could have signed a new one-year contract with Real, but he turned it down. “I always wanted to leave at the peak of my career. I never wanted people to have to tell me that that’s enough,” he said in his podcast Just look around.
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The European Championship trophy in the summer could round off his successful career. For Julian Nagelsmann’s team, Kroos is a fixture after his comeback in March.
Z+ (subscription required); He can kick – The football podcast: Toni Kroos is still the best German kicker
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Toni Kroos thanked the thousands of Real Madrid fans after his last big celebration at the legendary Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. “I have always felt at home during these ten years, I couldn’t wish for more.” When the midfield star left the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu pitch for the last time and his three children were waiting for him on the sidelines, he could no longer hide his emotions.
Rarely has a player been given such a farewell from the club as Kroos. “Gracias Leyenda” (Thank you, legend) was written on a huge poster, his teammates including Luka Modrić threw the 34-year-old into the air after the 0-0 draw against Betis Sevilla.
