German midfielder Toni Kroos announced his intention to retire from football after competing in the 2024 European Nations Championship with his country, which is hosting the competition, to write the end of his story from where it began.
Toni Kroos, 34 years old, began his football journey at Greifswalder FC, one of the small clubs in the city of Greifswalder where he was born in 1990, but he moved to the Hansa Rostock youth team in 2002, and his talent quickly shone.
Bayern Munich’s talent scouts saw Toni Kroos in action and rushed to sign the talented midfielder, at the age of 16, for €2.3 million in the summer of 2006.
Kroos continued to shine in youth competitions at the national team and Bayern Munich club levels, and was promoted to the first team starting in the 2007-2008 season, where he won the German League and Cup titles.
Bayern Munich officials decided to give their young player the opportunity to play regularly without pressure, so he was loaned for a season and a half to Bayer Leverkusen during the period from January 2009 until July 2010, during which he achieved runner-up in the German Cup.
Toni Kroos returned to Bayern Munich more mature, during the same period in which he participated for the first time with the German national team in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where he won the World Cup bronze.
Kroos continued with Bayern Munich until the summer of 2014, and during that period he won the Champions League title and the Club World Cup once, the German League championship 3 times and the German Cup 3 times, in addition to the European and German Super Cups once.
Just as the midfielder began to shine with Bayern Munich after participating in the World Cup, he decided to leave the Bavarian giant after the 2014 World Cup, which Germany won, and joined Real Madrid on July 17, 2014, to write his historical story within 10 years.
With Real Madrid, Toni Kroos won the Champions League 4 times, the Club World Cup 5 times, the European Super Cup 4 times, the Spanish League 4 times, the King’s Cup once, and the Spanish Super Cup 4 times.
Toni Kroos’ intention was to retire in June 2023, coinciding with the retirement of his father Ronald Kroos from coaching, but Real Madrid officials and coach Carlo Ancelotti were able to convince him to continue for an additional season, and then rethink his decision.
Toni Kroos chose to retire after the end of the Euro 2024 tournament, hosted by Germany, which ends next July 14, 10 years after his journey with Real Madrid.
Kroos was keen to stay away from the limelight and just enjoy playing football, but he did not hesitate to make honest statements and a strict tone when he appeared in the media.
Kroos’ mentality is revealed in his description of his decision to retire in his statement, where he said, “I am happy and proud that I found in my mind the appropriate timing for my decision, and that I was able to choose it myself. “My ambition has always been to finish my career at the top of my performance.”
Toni Kroos will take on a final challenge with Real Madrid in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund on June 1, before joining the German national team in search of the dream of achieving the European Championship title for the first and last time in his career.