Toni Kroos play EURO 2024. | © Twitter (@eurofootcom)
Real Madrid’s German international midfielder, Toni Kroos, announced on Tuesday that he will retire from football after Euro 2024. “My career as an active footballer will end this summer after the Euro championship,” said 34-year-old Kroos, who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany, on Instagram.
Before the European Championship, Kroos has a chance to win the Champions League with Real for the fifth time when they face Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on June 1. He also secured a Champions League title with Bayern Munich before joining the Spanish giants. Kroos joined Real in 2014 and quickly formed a formidable midfield partnership with Luka Modric.
Real said Kroos “will go down in Real Madrid history as one of our club and international football’s greatest legends”.
Kroos has clinched the Liga title four times and secured the Bundesliga three times with Bayern Munich. In July 2021, he initially announced his retirement from international football, only to reverse his decision in February after discussions with Germany’s coach Julian Nagelsmann. Nagelsmann convinced him to continue playing until Euro 2024, especially with the tournament being hosted on home soil.
With 108 caps and 17 goals for Germany, Kroos played a pivotal role in their World Cup victory in Brazil in 2014. Notably, he netted twice in the memorable 7-1 victory over the host nation in the semi-finals.
So, four years later he was unable to prevent Germany from crashing out in the group stage in Russia.
After sitting out Germany’s second consecutive World Cup group-stage exit in Qatar 2022, Kroos returned to international duty at Nagelsmann’s behest. Now, he is set to captain a revamped German squad at Euro 2024.
“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.”
