The Euro sensation has started, and the fever is spreading throughout Europe. Currently, Germany’s the home to the best 24 clubs from this continent, including its own team. No coaches or players missed the chance to be part of this extraordinary tournament, except for the force majeure events.
All competitors’ squads are very strong and full of talented players. While some are young and their future is yet to come, some of them announced retirement. This is how the legendary Real Madrid and Germany player, Toni Kroos, will play his last Euro.
A Long and Rich Career
I want to talk about Toni Kroos, but where do I begin? The 34-year-old German started his career in youth clubs when he was seven. After playing for youth clubs, Kroos joined Bayern Munich for the first time in 2006. He was transferred to Bayern Munich 2 one season later, where he spent one season.
After he returned to the first Bayern Munich A club, he made 130 appearances. His stay in Bayern Munich lasted from 2007 to 2014. In the meantime, the German spent 18 months in Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern Munich decided this because they wished Kroos to become more experienced.
During the entire period, the German played 173 games in the Bundesliga. He scored 23 goals. But this midfielder is best at making assists. So, his 11,648 minutes played in the Bundesliga witnessed 42 assists.
His career at Bayern Munich also includes 41 Champions League fixtures, during which he scored six goals and assisted twice as many. To put the cherry on the cake, Kroos even won this contest with the Bavarians in 2013.
Kroos’ Stay In Real Madrid
One of the key moments in Kroos’ career was the transfer to Real Madrid. Time flies, as this player joined Los Blancos back in 2014. And yet, we now see him play his last Euro.
His golden career in Real Madrid featured 306 La Liga appearances. Kroos netted 22 times in this time span but made an incredible 72 assists. No player has a perfect fair play record. Still, I noticed that Kroos had only one red card in all his La Liga matches.
Aside from being in the starting 11 so many times and sometimes strengthening the Los Blancos’ midline in La Liga, this footballer played 110 games for Real Madrid in the Champions League. His record shows five goals and 19 assists in 8.712 minutes.
After all, it’s not only about stats; it’s rather about how much this footballer raised Los Blancos’ team spirit. As a team, Los Blancos won four La Liga and five Champions League trophies with Kroos in their squad.
The Final Euro 2024 Destination & Retirement
Many people thought that Kroos would extend his contract and stay in Real for the 2024/25 season. But then, in late May this year, the German made an Instagram post saying goodbye to his favourite club and announcing his last Euro.
He ended his club career in the best possible way by winning the Champions League. Now, he said that he wanted to make his final Euro 2024 appearance glorious. Of course, he wishes his fellow German teammates and him to bring this nation a title after almost 30 years.
