Toni Kroos won the Golden Man award earlier this week in recognition of the pivotal role he played for Real Madrid and the German national team in his final season as a professional footballer.
The veteran star, after all, was a vital cog in the team’s midfield as he has been for the better part of a decade.
The award was only fitting for a player who left the sport while still at his very best and who will go down as one of the greatest-ever midfielders that football has seen.
Kroos’ departure has left a void in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad that the men in white have struggled to fill even six months later and word has it that they are looking to bring in a new player as they cannot find a similar profile in their ranks.
Kroos speaks on Real Madrid
Speaking to the media earlier this week, the German legend spoke on how he joined Real Madrid and the key role Ancelotti had in the same.
“Ancelotti brought me to Madrid in 2014, he strongly wanted me after the World Cup,” he said about the coach under whom he eventually retired as well.
Ancelotti played a key role in Kroos’ move to Real Madrid. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
Elaborating on why the Italian tactician was so hell-bent on his signing, Kroos said,
“They had just won the UEFA Champions League, and he told me he wanted to take the team to the next level.”
Finally, the former midfield maestro spoke on how it was not easy to leave Bayern Munich and the deciding factor in the end.
“It was not easy to leave Bayern to join Real Madrid, but he made things simpler & motivated me.”
Source: Tuttosport (h/t Madrid Xtra)