Germany and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos announced that he will retire from all football after Euro 2024.
“My career as an active footballer will end this summer after the Euro championship,” 34-year-old Kroos, who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany, said on Instagram.
When Real Madrid takes on Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on June 1, Kroos will have the opportunity to win the Champions League with Real for a sixth time, prior to the European Championship.
Prior to joining the Spanish powerhouses, he also won the Champions League with Bayern Munich.
After joining Real Madrid in 2014, Kroos and Luka Modric established a potent midfield tandem. Kroos has also won the Liga title four times.
In July 2021, he declared his retirement from international football. However, in February, he changed his mind after speaking with Germany’s coach Julian Nagelsmann, who convinced him to continue playing until the 2024 European Championship on home soil.
“My ambition was always to finish my career at the peak of my performance level,” Kroos said on Instagram.
“I am happy and proud that in my mind I found the right timing for my decision and that I could choose it on my own.”
One of the main players for Germany’s 2014 World Cup victory in Brazil, Kroos scored twice as his team defeated the home team 7-1 in the semifinals.
However, he was powerless to stop Germany from losing in the Russian group stage four years later.
Real Madrid released the following statement on the matter which reads:
Real Madrid CF confirms Toni Kroos has decided to bring an end to his time as a professional footballer following Euro 2024.
Real Madrid would like to express its gratitude and affection to Toni Kroos, a player who will go down in Real Madrid history as one of our club and international football’s greatest legends.
Toni Kroos arrived at the club in 2014 and has been a key player in one of the most successful periods of Real Madrid’s 122-year history. Over the course of ten seasons playing in our colours, he has won 22 titles in his 463 appearances: 4 European Cups, 5 Club World Cups, 4 European Super Cups, 4 LaLiga titles, 1 Copa del Rey and 4 Spanish Super Cups.
As well as his successes with Real Madrid, Toni Kroos was crowned world champion with the German National Team at the Brazil 2014 World Cup.
With Bayern Munich, he won 1 European Cup, 1 Club World Cup, 1 European Super Cup, 3 Bundesliga titles , 3 German Cups and 2 German Super Cups.
On an individual level, Toni Kroos has been named in the FIFA FIFPRO World 11 on three occasions. He was also voted Best Playmaker in 2014 by the IFFHS and picked up the Golden Ball as the best player at the U17 World Cup in Korea back in 2007.
Toni Kroos will remain forever in the hearts of every madridista thanks to his mastery of the game and the fact he has given his all for our jersey, a steady example of the values of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has said that, “Toni Kroos is one of the great players in Real Madrid history and this club will always be his home.”
Real Madrid wishes he and his family the best of luck in this new chapter of his life.
Official Announcement: Toni Kroos.#RealMadrid | #GraciasKroos
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 21, 2024
Photo by EPA/FILIP SINGER
