Former Real Madrid midfielder (and now retired legend) Toni Kroos has never been one to chase individual accolades. In a recent interview on the “A to Z” podcast hosted by tennis stars Alexander and Mischa Zverev, Kroos expressed his belief that individual awards in football are “completely unnecessary.” His perspective stems from the understanding that football is inherently a team sport. “Without the team, the individual would be nothing.”
“With eleven Toni Kroos you won’t win anything,” Kroos said. “But maybe you do need a Toni Kroos. That’s why I always tried to put my players in the position where they are at their best and where we can win games.”
Kroos also reflected on his decision to retire.
“I always wanted to finish at the top,” he said “Maybe in five years I’ll say it was a year too soon, but I feel fine now.”
Looking ahead, Kroos has clear ideas about his future, although managing a professional team is not currently on his radar. “Right now, I don’t feel like training professionals,” he explained.
During the podcast, Kroos was full of praise for Real Madrid, stating that they always making intelligent decisions. He highlighted how the club constantly replenished talent by bringing in young players to seamlessly replace departing stars. “They always had to replace players of great quality”, Kroos explained. “A new young player was already ready, and so one wheel clicked into place”,
Kroos also was full of praise for his former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo — highlighting the Portuguese’s work ethic in particular.
“Cristiano was there when I arrived at training, and he was still there when I left,” he said. “For him, scoring goals was a positive addiction.”