Toni Kroos shares a spine-tingling moment with Real Madrid fans when he's substituted in his last-ever club match
247-Sports-HD
2024-06-02
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Toni Kroos shared a touching moment with Real Madrid fans as he enjoyed a fairytale end to his club career by winning the Champions League at Wembley.
The German played his 718th and final club match on Saturday night after announcing that he would be calling time on his career at the end of the campaign.
Kroos added yet more silverware to his stacked trophy cabinet after Los Blancos' 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. Second-half goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr saw the veteran midfielder claim his sixth European Cup.
Minutes before the final whistle, Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti allowed the 34-year-old to have a touching send-off and he left the Wembley pitch to the jubilant applause of the club's supporters.
Kroos reacted in kind, passionately gesturing towards the fans with his arms raised and an enthusiastic fist pumped into the sky.
'It could be worse,' Kroos told CBS Sports when asked how it felt to retire with a Champions League winners medal. 'That was the plan but of course, it's difficult to plan this.
'We didn't play our best match today obviously but it seems like in these games we're unable to lose.
'We were pretty lucky in the first half, we didn't play a good game. We changed some things, we tried to be a bit more compact. [Carlo Ancelotti] moved Jude [Bellingham] next to me to be a little more compact and I think it helped.
'After we scored we improved and then there was no doubt anymore but first half we struggled a lot.'
Kroos has made a mighty 465 appearances for Los Blancos - scoring 28 goals and registering 98 assists - the 17th highest in club history, and second-highest of players still with the club behind team-mate Luka Modric.
Following the announcement of his retirement last month, the club 'expressed gratitude' to Kroos for his tenure and said that the player would 'go down in Real Madrid history as one of our club and international football's greatest legends.'
'Toni Kroos will remain forever in the hearts of every Madridista thanks to his mastery of the game and the fact he has given his all for our jersey, a steady example of the values of Real Madrid,' the statement added.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez made his tribute, adding: 'Toni Kroos is one of the great players in Real Madrid history and this club will always be his home.'
Kroos has played a key role in Madrid's title-winning success this season, featuring in 32 league matches and registering nine goal contributions.
'You don't lose finals,' Kroos added after Madrid's latest success. 'That's a good base to have. It's crazy when you see our route to the final in recent years.
'It's about quality of course but the mentality is crazy to even be the worst team and win these games. It's a lot of believing and I think that separates this club from all the others.'
His renewed form saw him take up the mantle at international level once again, following his initial retirement in 2021 in the wake of Germany's Euro 2020 campaign.
The German played his 718th and final club match on Saturday night after announcing that he would be calling time on his career at the end of the campaign.
Kroos added yet more silverware to his stacked trophy cabinet after Los Blancos' 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. Second-half goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr saw the veteran midfielder claim his sixth European Cup.
Minutes before the final whistle, Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti allowed the 34-year-old to have a touching send-off and he left the Wembley pitch to the jubilant applause of the club's supporters.
Kroos reacted in kind, passionately gesturing towards the fans with his arms raised and an enthusiastic fist pumped into the sky.
'It could be worse,' Kroos told CBS Sports when asked how it felt to retire with a Champions League winners medal. 'That was the plan but of course, it's difficult to plan this.
'We didn't play our best match today obviously but it seems like in these games we're unable to lose.
'We were pretty lucky in the first half, we didn't play a good game. We changed some things, we tried to be a bit more compact. [Carlo Ancelotti] moved Jude [Bellingham] next to me to be a little more compact and I think it helped.
'After we scored we improved and then there was no doubt anymore but first half we struggled a lot.'
Kroos has made a mighty 465 appearances for Los Blancos - scoring 28 goals and registering 98 assists - the 17th highest in club history, and second-highest of players still with the club behind team-mate Luka Modric.
Following the announcement of his retirement last month, the club 'expressed gratitude' to Kroos for his tenure and said that the player would 'go down in Real Madrid history as one of our club and international football's greatest legends.'
'Toni Kroos will remain forever in the hearts of every Madridista thanks to his mastery of the game and the fact he has given his all for our jersey, a steady example of the values of Real Madrid,' the statement added.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez made his tribute, adding: 'Toni Kroos is one of the great players in Real Madrid history and this club will always be his home.'
Kroos has played a key role in Madrid's title-winning success this season, featuring in 32 league matches and registering nine goal contributions.
'You don't lose finals,' Kroos added after Madrid's latest success. 'That's a good base to have. It's crazy when you see our route to the final in recent years.
'It's about quality of course but the mentality is crazy to even be the worst team and win these games. It's a lot of believing and I think that separates this club from all the others.'
His renewed form saw him take up the mantle at international level once again, following his initial retirement in 2021 in the wake of Germany's Euro 2020 campaign.
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