Toni Kroos applauds fans after the match.
Credit: Reuters Photo
With Spain showing Euro 2024 hosts Germany the door in their quarter-final clash, the curtain drew on the legendary football career of midfield legend Toni Kroos, who had said he would retire after the tournament.
The 34-year-old German forward has been a crucial peg not only for his country, but also for his club Real Madrid, with whom he won a staggering four Champions League titles, having won one earlier with Bayern Munich, which makes him, alongside Francisco Gento, Dani Carvajal, Nacho, and Luka Modric (alll having won six European Cups/Champions Leagues).
The most successful German player of all time, Kroos has 34 titles to his name.
Early days
The German midfield maestro's journey in the senior level began with Bayern Munich when he was only 17 years of age. After a short loan stint with Bayer Leverkusen, Kroos returned to Bayern and helped them win three Bundesliga (two of them coming in consecutive seasons), two DFP Pokals, and a Champions League.
In 2014, he was sold to Real Madrid for 25 million Euros.
A glittering Galactico
Kroos became a crucial peg in the midfield for Madrid, linking up with Luka Modric and Casemiro, and supplying assists regularly to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Gareth Bale up front.
With Los Blancos, Kroos managed to bag a total of 21 trophies, winning the Champions League on five occasions along with four La Liga titles. He also won his fifth Club World Cup title in 2018—a record—which he himself broke in 2022.
International career
Kroos has only won one trophy with his national side, and thankfully it turned out to be the most important of all—the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Thanks to an extra-time strike by Mario Goetze, Germany managed to defeat Argentina in the final to win their fourth World Cup
Personal honours
Kroos has been bestowed with a number of honours throughout his career.
In 2014, the very first year he joined Madrid, Kroos was voted the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker. In the same year, he featured on both the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team and the FIFA World Cup Dream Team.
He was also a part of both IFFHS World Team of the Decade and the IFFHS UEFA Team of the Decade. Kroos was adjudged the German Footballer of the Year in 2018.
The dee-lying playmaker also found himself on the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season on five successive occasions: 2013-14 to 2017-18.
With Reuters inputs