Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos explains why he retired: ‘The feeling with the ball never goes away’
Everybody was surprised when Toni Kroos announced he was retiring in 2024 after the Euro in Germany. At just 34 years old, his top performance for Real Madrid made the decision unexpected. However, he explained it in a conference with students from the Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid Universidad Europea.
Kroos said: “I retired because I didn’t want to get to the moment where I wouldn’t feel very well and started to have physical issues. The feeling with the ball never goes away. I still have it. I always knew I wanted to leave as I deserved, and how I wanted to be remembered by the club and the fans. The last image is very important for me. I’m very happy with the decision.”
This part has no doubts when it refers to the level of play Kroos had in his final year in the sport. Despite his country couldn’t go past the quarterfinals in his retirement match, Real Madrid was once again the king of the continent. With huge protagonism from the former midfielder, they won the Champions League days after celebrating La Liga.
Kroos on Real Madrid’s exigence
Real Madrid may be the most popular club in the world. What is certain is that they are the winningest institution with a dominance in the Champions League that was evident since the first edition.
Coming from a giant like Bayern Munich probably helped the midfielder adapt quickly to the standards from the fans. A nice story he told about this was the talks he had with club president Florentino Perez after lifting a trophy.
Kroos said: “I was hungry until the end. Besides, when you won the Champions League, the next day the president told you to go for the next one. You can enjoy for a few hours to the following day, when he tells you: ‘Well done and see you next year here again, at the same place with the same trophy.’ You can’t relax.”
Kroos praised Real Madrid’s current team
After some irregular stretches this year, Real Madrid looked the best against Manchester City in the Champions League. The figure of the series was Federico Valverde, who scored a hat-trick that sealed the match in the first leg. The German praised his number successor.
Kroos said: “The team has been able to improve their level, adapting to the rival and the importance of the match. They have done two very good matches. At home the number 8 also helped us very much. I really like him.”