Toni Kroos (born 4 January 1990) is a German former professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder. Regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, he was known for his vision and pinpoint precision passing.[note 1] Kroos played mainly as acentral midfielder and occasionally played as adefensive midfielder. Having won 34 trophies over his 17 year career he is the 2nd most decorated German football player afterThomas Müller (35 trophies).[15]
Kroos began his senior club career atBayern Munich, where he debuted at age 17 in 2007. He was used sparingly for Bayern and he went on loan to fellowBundesliga sideBayer Leverkusen for 18 months, where he became a key contributor. He returned to his parent club in 2010. With Bayern, Kroos won three Bundesliga titles (including two consecutive titles), aUEFA Champions League, twoDFB-Pokal trophies, and was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season three times. In 2014, he joinedReal Madrid for a €25 milliontransfer.[16]
Kroos was born inGreifswald,Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,East Germany, on 4 January 1990.[20] He was born in the last year of East Germany's existence, several weeks after thefall of the Berlin Wall and nine months beforeGerman reunification.[21] His mother Britta was an East German nationalbadminton champion[21] and his father Roland was also a footballer and at that time, he managed Hansa Rostock's youth team.[22] He has a younger brother,Felix Kroos, who was also a professional footballer.[22] During his youth, he was a mediocre student and spent a lot of time practicing football,[22] however, he was well-behaved in class and well-liked among his peers at school.[22]
Kroos first played for local clubGreifswalder SC, later transferring to the youth team ofHansa Rostock. Kroos moved toBayern Munich'syouth setup in 2006. Kroos was missing up to 40 days during the school year due to training.[22]
For the2007–08 season, at the age of 17, Kroos was promoted to Bayern's senior team. He made an astounding start to hisBundesliga career, making his debut for Bayern on 26 September 2007 in a 5–0 win againstEnergie Cottbus and twiceassistingMiroslav Klose goals within 18 minutes of his appearance as a substitute.[23] At the time of his debut, Kroos was the youngest player ever to represent Bayern in a professional match at 17 years, 265 days old, a record since broken byDavid Alaba in 2010.[24] On 25 October, Kroos earned Bayern a valuable victory away toRed Star Belgrade on hisUEFA Cup debut, coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute and providing an assist for Miroslav Klose and then scoring the winning goal, his first for the club, in stoppage time.[25] He made his first start for the club in a 3–1 defeat away atVfB Stuttgart.[citation needed] Kroos ended his first season with 20 appearances for Bayern, including six starts. He also scored three goals in 12 appearances forBayern Munich II in theRegionalliga Süd.[citation needed]
On 31 January 2009, Bayern allowed Kroos to joinBayer Leverkusen on an 18-monthloan to gain first team experience.[27] He made his debut on 28 February as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat againstHannover 96. On 12 April, he made his first Bundesliga start for Leverkusen, assisting the team's goal in a 1–1 draw withWerder Bremen. On 18 April 2009, he scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 2–1 loss toVfL Wolfsburg.[citation needed] On 30 May, Kroos appeared as a late substitute in the2009 DFB-Pokal Final against Werder Bremen, where Leverkusen were beaten 1–0 by aMesut Özil goal.[28] During the 2008–09 season, Kroos made 13 appearances for Leverkusen in all competitions, scoring once.[citation needed] Kroos established himself as a regular in the Leverkusen team in 2009–10, appearing all but one of Bayer'sBundesliga matches. Between matchdays 16 and 20, Kroos registered five goals and four assists in five Bundesliga matches, earning him back-to-back "player of the month" awards fromkicker for December 2009 and January 2010.[29] He ended the season with nine goals and 12 assists from 33 matches.[citation needed]
In the summer of 2010, on the expiration of his loan at Bayer Leverkusen, Kroos returned to Bayern Munich. When asked about his first team chances with Bayern, runner-up in the previous season'sChampions League, Kroos stated, "I want to play as often as possible!"[30]
On 16 August 2010, he started againstGermania Windeck in the first round of theDFB-Pokal, scoring the third goal in a 4–0 victory. On 29 October 2010, he scored his first league goal for the club, in a 4–1 win for the Bavarians againstSC Freiburg. During the2010–11 season, Kroos was a regular starter for Bayern in theBundesliga, DFB-Pokal andChampions League. He ended the season with 37 appearances in all competitions.[citation needed]
Kroos was an important member of Bayern'streble-winning team during the2012–13 season. As the most advanced member of a midfield containing Schweinsteiger andJavi Martínez, Kroos scored three goals in the team's opening fourBundesliga matches. He also scored his first Champions League goal in Bayern's openinggroup match againstValencia. After sustaining an injury in the first leg of theChampions League quarter-final againstJuventus,[31] Kroos was unavailable for the remainder of the season, missing Bayern's successes in the2013 UEFA Champions League Final, the2013 DFB-Pokal Final and the last seven matches of the Bundesliga season.[citation needed]
Prior to joining Real Madrid, Kroos had a deal in place to joinManchester United after agreeing terms withDavid Moyes. However, after Moyes was sacked andLouis van Gaal replaced him, the Dutch manager decided against signing Kroos. Around the time of the2014 World Cup he received a call fromCarlo Ancelotti.[40]
On 17 July 2014, SpanishLa Liga clubReal Madrid announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Kroos, signing a six-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[41][42][43][20] The press reported that Kroos had cost between €24 and €30 million.[41][44][45][43][46][47]Greifswalder SV 04, the successor to his first youth team, received€60000 from the transfer.[48]
In 2015, Ancelotti was replaced byRafa Benítez in Madrid's command. Benítez was replaced in the middle of the season byZinedine Zidane, under whom Kroos continued to be a key midfield player. Zidane said "We signed Toni because we want him to mark an era" and called Kroos "perfect for Madrid".[56] He was a regular starter when the team won the2015–16 Champions League, his second Champions League trophy.[57]Los Blancos' triumph atSan Siro meant that Kroos became the first-ever German to lift the Champions League trophy with two clubs.[58]
Kroos playing for Real Madrid in 2018
In 2016, Kroos became a part of a collaboration between theGerman Football Association andThe LEGO Group, who in May released a Europe-exclusivecollectible minifigure series, with Kroos featured as the tenth of sixteenminifigures in the collection.[59] On 12 October 2016, he signed a new contract until 2022, and by the end of the year he was once again nominated to theFIFA FIFPRO World 11 and theUEFA Team of the Year.[60] He scored the winning goal for Real Madrid in the 81st minute of the game againstCelta Vigo as Real Madrid won their first home game of theLa Liga season by 2–1.[61] He was a regular starter when Madrid won the2016–17 La Liga and later defended their title in the2016–17 Champions League. He became the first German player to win the trophy three times.[62][63][64] At the end of 2016–17, Kroos was the most used player under Zidane.[65] During the2017–18 Champions League, he made twelve appearances, when Madrid won their third consecutive and 13th overall Champions League title.[66]
On 22 December 2018, Kroos won his record fifthFIFA Club World Cup after his team defeatedAl Ain FC with a 4–1 margin in thefinal.[18] On 20 May 2019, he extended his contract with the club until 2023.[67][68]
On 17 August 2019, Kroos opened his goal account for the campaign in theLa Liga season opener against Celta Vigo atBalaídos in a 3–1 win with a long range effort.[69] On 22 October 2019, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory overGalatasaray in his100th appearance in the Champions League.[70]
On 8 January 2020, Kroos scored his firstSupercopa goal directly from acorner kick againstValencia in the2019–20 Supercopa de España semi-final inJeddah as Los Blancos won 3–1.[71] Three days later, Real Madrid won theSupercopa after beating the local rivalsAtlético Madrid on penalties.[72] On 16 February, Kroos again scored against Celta Vigo, this time at the Bernabeu in a 2–2 league draw.[73] This was his sixth goal against the Galician club, meaning he had scored against them more than any other team in his career.[citation needed]
On 16 June, when La Liga restarted after a three-month hiatus due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Kroos scored Real Madrid's first official goal at theAlfredo Di Stéfano Stadium in just four minutes in an eventual 3–1 win overEibar.[74] One month later, Real Madrid went on a ten-game winning run and won the2019–20 La Liga title with Kroos featuring in all 11 matches post-lockdown.[75] On 8 August, Kroos' season came to an end as Manchester City eliminated Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 (4–2 on aggregate).[76]
On 10 April 2021, Kroos scored his firstEl Clásico goal againstBarcelona which came from a free-kick in the 28th minute at the Di Stefano Stadium which proved to be the winner in a vital 2–1 league win to send Los Blancos to the top of the league. This was Kroos' first free kick goal for Real Madrid in just his sixth attempt.[77] In the2021–22 UEFA Champions League, Kroos won his fifth title in the competition, scoring two goals in twelve appearances.[78]
On 10 August 2022, Kroos started the2022–23 season by winning his fourthUEFA Super Cup againstEintracht Frankfurt.[79] This match would prove to be significant because it was the last time the famous trio commonly known by fans asKCM (Kroos,Casemiro andModrić) would start a match together. Casemiro would move on to Manchester United a week later.[80] On the first matchday of the2022–23 UEFA Champions League season, Kroos received the UEFA Man of the Match for his performance againstCeltic atCeltic Park.[81] On 11 September 2022, Krooscaptained Real Madrid for the first time in a 4–1 home win againstMallorca after club captainKarim Benzema had been injured and the reserve captains (Nacho and Modrić) started on the bench.[82] On 16 October, he played his 250th La Liga match in a 3–1 El Clásico win over Barcelona.[83] On 30 October, Kroos received the firstred card of his professional career in a 1–1 home draw againstGirona after he received a secondyellow card for a foul onAleix García.[84]
On 11 February 2023, Kroos broke his own record by gaining his sixth FIFA Club World Cup title, one with Bayern Munich and five with Real Madrid.[85] On 6 May, he played in the 2–1 win overOsasuna in theCopa del Rey final, to achieve his first ever trophy in that tournament.[86] On 21 June 2023, Kroos extended his contract with Real Madrid for one more year, keeping him until June 2024.[87][88] On 3 October, Kroos got his 100th Champions League appearance for the club, starting in Madrid's 3–2 turnaround away win overNapoli.[89]
On 21 May 2024, Kroos announced that he would retire from club and international football afterUEFA Euro 2024.[90][91] In his last La Liga fixture at the Santiago Bernabéu on 25 May, he played in a goalless draw against Real Betis, where he received a guard of honour and a standing ovation from the entire stadium when he was substituted in the 86th minute.[92][93] On 1 June, he played his last match for the club, where he provided an assist from a corner toDani Carvajal's first goal in a 2–0 win overBorussia Dortmund in theChampions League final, getting his 300th win for Real Madrid.[94] Moreover, this match saw Kroos equalPaco Gento's record of six European Cup titles alongsideDani Carvajal,Luka Modrić andNacho.[95] In total he made 479 top-flight league matches for Bayern, Leverkusen and Madrid.[96]
In the2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Toni Kroos was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player and also won theBronze Shoe after scoring five goals.[97] Kroos' debut for thenational U-21 team came on 5 September 2008 in a2009 Euro U-21 Championship Qualifier againstNorthern Ireland and scored the opening goal in the 11th minute,[98] his second goal for the U-21 side was goal in Germany's 1–0 win over Italy, a precise long-range shot in the angle. It came as a surprise that coachHorst Hrubesch left him out of Germany's U-21 squad forEuro 2009, and Germany went on to win the tournament without him.[99]
In January 2010, Kroos was called up to the seniorGermany team for the first time, for a training session inSindelfingen[100] and was named in the squad for the following match, a friendly againstArgentina on 3 March 2010, in which he subsequently made his debut for the national side.[101]
Kroos established himself as a regular starter in Germany'squalification campaign forUEFA Euro 2012, playing in eight out of a possible ten games. Germany won all ten qualifying matches to topgroup A. After qualification was already ensured, Kroos scored his first two international goals, both with his strong right foot. Notably, both Kroos' goals were Germany's first after falling behind in the respective matches, both of which were drawn away friendlies, against the two Euro 2012 hosts –Poland andUkraine. National coachJoachim Löw also praised him: "How Toni distributes the ball, how he receives it, is very good. He's technically excellent ... He has made progress in the last few matches, I'm extremely satisfied with the player."[102]
At the tournament finals, Kroos appeared as a substitute in all three of Germany'sGroup B matches. For thesemi-final match againstItaly, Löw selected the naturally attacking Kroos toman mark Italy'splaymakerAndrea Pirlo. The decision was heavily criticised as Germany lost the match 2–1.[103][104]
Kroos was named in Germany's squad for the2014 World Cup.[105] In the team's opening match, a 4–0 win overPortugal, Kroos started in midfield and assistedMats Hummels for Germany's second goal.[106] Then in the quarter final the only goal scored byMats Hummels againstFrance came from his free kick.[107] In thesemi-final against the host nationBrazil, Kroos scored two goals two minutes apart (24' and 26') in Germany's7–1 win.[108] He also recorded his fourth assist of the tournament, crossing forThomas Müller's opening goal, and was namedman of the match byFIFA.[109] Kroos has been nicknamedGarçom ("waiter" in Portuguese) by the Brazilians for precisely delivering most passes to the strikers.[110]
On 11 July, Kroos was named on the ten-man shortlist for FIFA'sGolden Ball award for the tournament's best player.[111]
TheCastrol Performance Index, the official statistical analyser of the World Cup, rated Kroos as the best player at the 2014 World Cup, with a rating of 9.79 out of 10.[112]
Kroos is considered the only player from the formerEast Germany to ever win the World Cup.[113]
On 4 June 2018, Kroos was included in Germany's final 23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup.[114] On 23 June, Kroos scored from a free-kick in stoppage time againstSweden to resurrect Germany's World Cup hopes with a 2–1 victory.[115] But in their next and last group stage match, his side were knocked out bySouth Korea after losing 2–0 four days later.[116]
Three days after the team lost 2–0 againstEngland in the Round of 16 on 29 June, Kroos announced his retirement from international football, after being heavily criticised for his poor performance.[119][120][121] Honorary Bayern Munich presidentUli Hoeneß stated that Kroos' style of play which emphasizes horizontal passing doesn't fit the modern game.[119] Former German international andBallon d'Or winnerLothar Matthäus expressed similar sentiments, stating that he does not agree with Kroos style of play and that "Kroos is no longer international class".[120][121] However, per Kroos own statement he said the reasons for his retirement were to focus on his club career and family.[122][123]
Return to the national team, UEFA Euro 2024, and retirement
On 22 February 2024, Kroos announced that he would return to the German national team for the tournament on home soil, having been approached to do so by new managerJulian Nagelsmann.[124][125] In March 2024, he was called up for the next window.[126] Kroos assisted a goal seven seconds into his international return againstFrance on 23 March 2024.[127]
Kroos was included in the final Germany squad for theUEFA Euro 2024, which he announced in May that would be his final tournament as a professional footballer at home.[128][129][130] He went on to help the team reach the quarterfinals, where they lost againstSpain by 2–1 after extra time; this would be his last career match.[131][132][133][134]
"How Toni distributes the ball, how he receives it, is very good. He's technically excellent ... He has made progress in the last few matches, I'm extremely satisfied with the player."
A tall and athletic right-footed midfielder, Kroos is regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation, known for the long range and high accuracy of his passing and his ability to create goals with his passing andcrossing fromset-pieces.[4][5][136][137][138][139] He has been described byJonathan Wilson as "perhaps the archetype of the modernattacking midfielder". Wilson has also described Kroos as "dynamic and hardworking", and praised him for his physical strength and versatility across severalmidfield positions. Kroos played in thecentre as adeep-lying playmaker or even as adefensive midfielder due to his ability to both break up play, retain possession, and create chances for teammates. At the beginning of his career, he played as an advanced midfielder, before being shifted to a deep-lying playmaker as his career progressed.[6][140][141][142] One of his signature moves on the ball involved him taking a run-on first touch past an opponent when receiving a pass under pressure, which allowed him to beat opponents and create space for himself,[142] despite his lack of pace;[143][144] this move was dubbed the "Kroos shuffle" in the media.[145] Kroos has a wide variety of passes, and he can control the midfield with accurate short passes or start attacks with longer passes.[146][147][148] Former Manchester United midfielderPaul Scholes said in 2014 that Kroos, "a top-class central midfielder", was the player that United most needed to sign.[7]
Former Netherlands captainJohan Cruyff said of Kroos' performances at the 2014 World Cup, "He's doing everything right: the pace in his passes is great and he sees everything. It's nearly perfect."[149]
Kroos married his long-term girlfriend Jessica Farber on 13 June 2015. They have two sons and a daughter.[150] He owns a house on the island ofMallorca.[41]
In March 2021, Kroos said it was "wrong" for the2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar, pointing out the Gulf state's poor treatment of migrant workers and its criminalisation of homosexuality. He said that footballers should draw attention to those issues instead of boycotting the tournament.[151] In 2023, he criticised footballers for moving to theSaudi Pro League, believing that it was driven only by money.[152] He said that he would never move to the country due to its human rights record, which prompted him to be booed while playing in the2024 Supercopa de España, which was hosted inSaudi Arabia.[153]
Kroos called for Germans to vote in the2021 German federal election, unless they were voting for theAlternative for Germany, adding "nobody needs them".[154] In July 2024, Kroos said on theZDFLanz & Precht podcast that Germany was not the same country that he had left ten years earlier, and he said that his daughter would be safer in Spain. Later in the discussion, he said that he supportedimmigration to Germany "1000%" but felt that it had been "uncontrolled" and had allowed some "not good" people to enter. Kroos's interview was misinterpreted and many thought he was suggesting a link betweenimmigration and crime in Germany.[155]
^Saffer, Paul (13 May 2007)."Pair share scoring honour".UEFA. Union of European Football Associations.Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved13 March 2023.
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