Champions League
Kroos and Real: Insatiable – and often underestimated
Toni Kroos joins the Madrilenians in the second leg at Chelsea. photo
© Ruben Albarran/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Toni Kroos and Real Madrid are heading for the next Champions League semifinals. The German would obviously like to extend his success story in Spain. At home it sometimes goes under.
Soccer Germany is eagerly awaiting the next duel between the faltering FC Bayern Munich and Manchester City’s relentless goalscorer Erling Haaland, Spain’s Toni Kroos.
The 2014 world champion wants Real Madrid to make it through to the next round in the second leg of the Champions League at Chelsea on Tuesday (9 p.m.). It would be the seventh time in the nine years together that the Spanish record champions and the German midfielder have reached the semi-finals of the premier class. Real and Kroos – that’s a success story.
And the 33-year-old probably wants to extend it. According to a report in the newspaper “Marca”, Kroos is said to have informed the club that he would like to extend his contract, which expires in the summer, for another season. So there could be a few more to the 19 titles he has already won with Real. Kroos has already won the Champions League four times with the Madrilenians.
Man City or Paris Saint-Germain are often mentioned first when it comes to the favorites for the title in the European master class year after year. The fact that Real does not have many experts on the radar right away also suits Kroos in a certain way. Both his club and the player himself are insatiable – and yet they are often underestimated.
Standing ovation when substituted
After his superb performance in last week’s 2-0 first-leg win against Chelsea, the 106-cap international was given a standing ovation by fans at the famous Santiago Bernabéu stadium when he was substituted. He was once again celebrated by the Spanish media – as a “midfield engine”, “legend” and “orchestra director”.
The Madrid specialist newspaper “As” praised him as a “monumental midfielder”. Your star columnist Jesús Gallego wrote that Kroos forms a “historic duo” with the Croatian veteran and noble technician Luka Modric at Real’s headquarters.
In Germany there has been less applause and praise for Kroos for years. In his homeland, the achievements of the former Bayern pro are often noted with respect rather than celebrated. The relationship between him and most of the German fans at the end of his career in the national jersey was not really intimate. For the 2014 World Cup title year, Kroos was voted national player of the year and came second in the popularity rankings for 2016.
The man from Greifswald has always impressed with his good game overview and excellent pass rates – and now also as a duel. Since Brazilian Casemiro left Manchester United last summer, Kroos has not only been a strategist at Real, but increasingly also a worker.
Kroos expects stormy blues
He last played that role with flying colors against Chelsea. Also at the reunion with the Londoners on Tuesday – it would be his 406th competitive game for the royals – Kroos wants to “hold against it”. Especially in the first 15, 20 minutes he expected stormy blues, he explained after the first leg.
Kroos was absent from the 2-0 league win at FC Cádiz at the weekend. Like the Brazilian striker Vincius Junior, it may have been just a precautionary measure. “They couldn’t play because they had problems,” explained Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. The duo is now back in the squad against Chelsea. According to Kroos, the Madrilenians will take a “good result” to Stamford Bridge. There they now want to take the next step towards the title.
For Kroos it would be the sixth in the Champions League, which he has already won with Bayern. And possibly not the last.