Toni Kroos, the silent champion
One of the most successful German footballers: Toni Kroos. He is set to return to the national team for EURO 2024 in Germany before retiring from the game.
Christina Iglhaut,
29.05.2024 
Toni Kroos has achieved something that no other German footballer has: he won the Champions League for the sixth time in May 2024 with Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund, making him the most successful German footballer at club level. “He was one of the best midfielders in the history of football – and still is,” says Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. Kroos has won the league championship three times in Germany and four times in Spain. The highlight of his career was winning the 2014 World Cup with Germany in Brazil.
As a 17-year-old making his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich in 2007, Kroos would never have dared to dream of such feats. He quickly developed into a serious talent in Munich and spent some time at Bayer Leverkusen before finally moving to record-holding Spanish champions Real Madrid in 2014, where he still plays today.
Will Toni Kroos be playing at EURO 24 in Germany?
“I’ve been thinking about it really hard for a long time and in the last few days I’ve come to the conclusion that this season – this wonderful season – will also be my last,” said Kroos in his podcast Einfach mal Luppen in May, announcing the end of his career with audible emotion. So from this summer onwards there’ll be “no more football”, as he put it. But before that happens, there’s still a chance for the 34-year-old to win one item that is missing from his otherwise full cabinet of trophies: the European Championship. EURO 2024 is being held in Germany and Kroos is now set to return to the national team after a three-year absence. Together with his colleague in midfield, İlkay Gündoğan, he aims to lead his team to the title – just the way we know him: calm, engaged, precise.
What good causes does Toni Kroos support?
Kroos is a role model off the pitch, too. He lives in Spain with his wife Jessica and three children and is known for his down-to-earth manner. He is also actively involved with the Toni Kroos Foundation for seriously ill children and their families. “The important thing about him is that he’s remained normal in spite of his enormous success. He has a compassion and an empathy that are absolutely unbeatable,” says former team-mate Miroslav Klose.
