Despite retiring from professional football, Toni Kroos continues to express his views on various topics, from his personal career decisions to his reflections on Real Madrid.
Recently, during an interview with German tennis player Alexander Zverev, Kroos opened up about his reasons for stepping away from football and shared some insights into his time at Real Madrid.
Kroos, who ended his football career on a high note, explained that he always aimed to leave the sport while still playing at the top level.
Although there might come a time when he questions whether he retired too soon, for now, he remains content with his decision.
“I always wanted to finish at the highest level. Maybe in five years, I'll say I retired too early, but right now I feel good,” said the former midfielder as quoted by AS.
He humorously noted that if he were a tennis player, he would have had more control over various aspects of his career, such as choosing his team and the people around him.
“If I were a tennis player, I wouldn't have retired yet. You decide who's on your team, who sits in the box and who sleeps in your bed the night before the match (laughs).”
Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo
Reflecting on Real Madrid, Kroos praised the club's strategy in handling transitions within the squad. He acknowledged how the club always had a plan in place when it was time to replace world-class players.
“Real Madrid have always done things very intelligently. Whenever we had to replace world-class players, a young player was already prepared. The pieces fit together,” he noted.
Kroos also spoke about his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, highlighting the Portuguese star's remarkable work ethic and passion for scoring goals.
According to Kroos, Ronaldo's drive to constantly improve and score became a positive addiction for him, and it was evident in his daily commitment to training and performance on the pitch.
“Cristiano was always there when I arrived at training and still there when I left. We all want to win titles and score goals, but for him, scoring goals was a positive addiction.”
When it comes to individual awards, Kroos expressed his belief that they are unnecessary in a team sport like football.
He emphasized that the success of any player is deeply connected to the team, and without the support of teammates, individual accomplishments would hold little value.
“Individual awards seem completely unnecessary to me. Football is a team sport. Without the team, the individual would be nothing,” he said.
immj97
39
The club is greater than any player be it Messi or Ronaldo. But the greatness of a player is reflected by his zeal and the success he brings to the club or country. Portugal qualified for 5/5 WC with ronaldo but only 3/17 without him. Portugal qualified for 6/6 WC with ronaldo but only 3/11 without him. Portugal has had only 2 titles till date and those were with Ronaldo. I never undermined Messi but please don't undermine Ronaldo. But the fact still remains, He or Messi can never be greater than Madrid/Barca and Portugal/Argentina.
Jordon4u
27
Whether Individual or team , the Goat will always be on top!! Messi individually does the most for the team, also makes link up plays, and can also decide to run the show by himself. Man is football itself. I respect Kroos but if he is saying this as a dig to Messi as some RM fans claim then he should rethink that, because he himself won’t be able to pick any position he will play better at than Messi, yes we can even do PRIME Kroos against current Messi 😁
ttttttttttuser
22
One of the greatest Midfielder of all time
Truthishere
10
But Mr. Kroos Wannabenaldo and his CRying fanbase think different. According to them Ronaldo all his career played with 10 woods to win all the things he have including the UCLs he won during your time with him in Real Madrid. It has always been Ronaldo against the world yet he keeps winning with woods. Teams are nothing without Ronaldo including Real Madrid that's why Madrid has won nothing since his departure and Ronaldo keeps winning trophies and awards, even in Saudi!