After watching Real Madrid fail to defend their Spanish and European titles last season, Toni Kroos has weighed in on the current state of his former club.
Kroos’s final moments in a white shirt ended in storybook fashion at the conclusion of the 2023–24 season. Real Madrid topped La Liga and then five days later, defeated Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium to claim their 15th Champions League title.
The German midfielder, who joined Real Madrid following Germany’s 2014 FIFA World Cup triumph, bid farewell to the club and went on to retire from the sport later that summer. Kroos’s departure left a gaping hole in Los Blancos’ midfield, one that ultimately hindered the team’s chances at winning a major trophy in Carlo Ancelotti's final campaign in charge.
Real Madrid suffered 15 defeats across all competitions in the 2024–25 season and conceded 84 goals, the most in a single season in club history. Ancelotti’s men lost four Clásicos to Barcelona, finished second in La Liga and were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals by Arsenal.
Like Madridistas across the globe, Kroos could do nothing but watch as the team struggled on the biggest of stages.
“Look, since I retired, I became a Real Madrid fan; it’s normal, after 10 years here,” Kroos told El País Semanal. “And I’ve seen, like all the other fans of the team, that it hasn’t been an easy season.
“And people were saying: ‘it’s because Toni Kroos isn’t here!’ And all I wanted was for things to work out well and for them to stop saying that.”
Indeed, many of Real Madrid’s struggles last season came from failing to replace Kroos. When Los Blancos took on the best teams in Spain and Europe, there was no one in the midfield controlling the game like Kroos did for over a decade.
Real Madrid mightily missed the German’s diagonal balls to switch the field of play, his set-piece delivery, his playmaking and most of all, his composure. With Kroos commanding the midfield, Real Madrid won 22 trophies, including five Champions League titles.
“One thing is clear, and that is that the central midfield position is fundamental in modern football; there’s no doubt about it. Look at what happened to Manchester City after a player like Rodri got injured,” Kroos continued.
“What happens is that a good central midfielder or defensive midfielder is missed when he’s not there. When he’s there, it’s something that’s taken for granted; it’s as if you don’t notice it, as if everything is in order and then the forwards can finish games with ease.”
New Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso is reportedly interested in signing a deep-lying playmaker this summer, but beyond Rodri, the club is unimpressed with the options on the market.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Stop Saying That’—Toni Kroos Opens Up on Real Madrid’s Recent Struggles.
