It is more than a year since Toni Kroos retired and ended a sensational career at the top of football – and 10 years at Real Madrid. The decision of the 35-year-old was questioned at the time, but he will continue to stay there.
And when he spoke with El Pais, Kroos opened his reasoning behind last summer, even though he had been in the back of a fantastic individual season.
“I have thought of this for a few months, I mean, I didn't get out of bed one morning and suddenly say to myself:” You have to retire! ” No, I have already become very mature.
“I wanted to retire at a very high level. I think it is difficult to do better than in my last season with Real Madrid. I left after winning La Liga and the Champions League. Goodbye.
“It is best to leave it at the top. You leave with a great feeling because you are the one who made the decision, instead of responding to being sent to the bank because I was no longer so good or because I was not as important for the team, as I was until the end … I wanted to leave myself.
Kroos has sustained that the decision to retire last summer was suitable for him, but it had a very large negative effect on Real Madrid, which he has recognized in recent months. Los Blancos struggled to fill his void during the 2024-25 campaign, and it eventually led them to win a great honor.