Toni Kroos he will retire after the European Championship but does not want to leave football without having won one last Champions League: “We have started preparing for the match against Borussia Dortmund. It is the last, the most important”, he said in an interview with Cadena Ser.
How do you feel when you say ‘the last game’?
“I don’t think much about myself anymore. It’s the most important match for the whole team, the last of the season and we all want to finish well. It’s my last match with Real Madrid, but then I’ll play the European Championship. For me it doesn’t end on Saturday” .
Did you expect a farewell like this at the Bernabeu?
“I will never forget it, I never want to forget it. The truth is, I didn’t expect anything. I just wanted to enjoy that day, whatever happened. It was very special and emotional, I couldn’t ask for more.”
Who will you miss the most in the locker room?
“Everyone, not just my teammates. There are many with whom I have been here for many years. Luka, Lucas Vázquez, Nacho… But what I will miss will be the pitch, I have always liked playing.”
Is there another Kroos?
“I don’t think it’s important for Real Madrid to find someone like me, but that he continues to win. They have always been very good at creating a team capable of winning. You always have to adapt to the players you have; there will be a day when Real Madrid will play without Toni Kroos, another without Luka Modric… But there was also a day when we had to play without Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos, and we continued to win. This will happen next season too, Real will always win “.
At 34 years old, in the best moment of his career, what will Toni Kroos do after the European Championships?
“I have several projects. Starting in September I will open an academy for children here. Then I will do a sort of Kings League in Germany. I have several projects, but my idea of retiring also has to do with spending more time at home with my children.”
Have you returned to the national team because the European Championships are in Germany?
“No, no. I had the feeling that they needed me. Nagelsmann called me. I watched the matches, I saw that they had suffered after the World Cup in Qatar. He asked me if I would like to play in the European Championships, I thought about it and I said yes. I feel good physically, which is the most important thing. We are playing a tournament after a long season. I think we have a great chance.
Are you afraid of regretting this decision? Modric wants to continue and is 39 years old.
“No, they are different cases. I think Luka and I think slightly differently about how to finish our career. He continues to enjoy football, I have always wanted to finish in a great moment, where my body still responds a lot good. I want to leave football without physical problems and I’m happy to have had this level until I was 34. I wanted to finish as an important element for the team. I feel good now and I think it’s the perfect moment.”
If Germany won the European Championships, do you think you deserve to win the Ballon d’Or?
“I don’t know. Throughout my career I never thought about winning individual trophies. I always thought about winning with the team. The rest is a consequence.”
Ancelotti said you had the balls to make a decision like that.
“I thought about it for months. There are moments when I wanted to continue for another season, others when I wanted to stop… Around April I had the feeling that it was time to close, changing my mind now is difficult.”