Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos to retire from professional football
Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has announced he will retire after this summer's European Championship.
Kroos has made a name for himself as one of the most talented and decorated midfielders in the world. As a three-time Bundesliga winner, Kroos has also won the DFB-Pokal in 2012/13 and 2013/14 and the UEFA Champions League in 2012/13 while on the books of Bayern.
After moving to Real Madrid, Kroos won three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles in 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18. He has also lifted La Liga in 2016/17 and 2019/20 and was part of the Germany side which won the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil under the guidance of Joachim Low.
Kroos joined Bayern's youth set-up in 2006 and broke through to the first team during the 2007/08 campaign.
Bayern momentarily lost their domestic dominance to Jurgen Klopp's Borussia Dortmund side, who went on to win two successive Bundesliga titles. But Bayern reasserted their control under Jupp Heynckes.
The 2012 UEFA Champions League final defeat to Chelsea at the Allianz Arena preceded an era of tremendous success for Kroos and Bayern.
In the 2012/13 campaign, Heynckes' men beat Dortmund to the Bundesliga title. They beat VfB Stuttgart in the final of the DFB-Pokal and saw off Dortmund 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League final, avenging the previous season's defeat to Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola took over from Jupp Heynckes the following season, and he maintained Bayern's success, winning both the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.
"We are talking about the two biggest teams in the world," he told Bild when asked to compare Real Madrid with Bayern Munich shortly after moving from the latter to the former. "However, I think that overall Real Madrid are one step ahead.
The 2014/15 season saw Real Madrid narrowly miss out on the La Liga title despite a hugely impressive start. Ultimately, Barcelona won the treble - the Champions League, Copa del Rey and La Liga.
Real Madrid were beaten by Juventus in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League thanks to a star performance from Juventus' Alvaro Morata - formerly of Real Madrid (and a future teammate of Kroos upon Morata's subsequent return to the Bernabeu).
The 2015/16 season was a better one for Los Blancos as they won the UEFA Champions League title after Zinedine Zidane replaced Rafael Benitez as manager mid-season.
The 2017/18 season started off with a 5-1 drubbing of Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana, albeit over two legs. However, Real Madrid struggled to keep pace with Barca in La Liga even after the departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.
Nevertheless, Real Madrid managed to win the UEFA Champions League for the third time running, beating Liverpool 3-1 in the final in Kiev.
Kroos was awarded the Golden Ball for being the best player at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He made his breakthrough in the U-21 national side the following year, although he missed out on the Germany U-21 squad which won Euro 2009.
He became a regular starter for the national team during qualification for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine as Germany won all 10 of their qualification group fixtures. Once again, Germany ultimately bowed out at the semi-finals of the tournament, with Low's decision to utilise Kroos to man-mark Andrea Pirlo in their defeat to Italy heavily criticised.
He continued to be a major part of the German national team going into Euro 2020, which was delayed until the summer of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It was his 106th and final cap, with him announcing his retirement from international football in the days that followed Germany's exit.
Kroos reportedly married Jessica Farber on June 13, 2015 and has two sons - Leon and Fin, as well as a daughter, Amelie.
As a youngster, Kroos reportedly missed a lot of school while practicing soccer and was a poor student, although well-liked.
According to Salary Sport, Kroos earns an annual salary of £17,108,000 at Real Madrid as of 2021.
Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has announced he will retire after this summer's European Championship.
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