Real Madrid landed in Leipzig on Monday in a state of calm and good humor, and this was also reflected in a joke between men. Toni Kroos, 34, had just finished his press conference when Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti passed him at the exit. “What did you tell them?” Ancelotti asked his midfield strategist, without suspecting that the Radio Marca reporters would have their cell phones running. “That I’ll extend it too,” Kroos replied – and laughed. Because that’s exactly what he didn’t say, although there was no shortage of questions about his future on Monday evening. What’s more: there were so many that one could almost have come to the conclusion that the first knockout round game of the Champions League on Tuesday against the fifth-placed team in the Bundesliga, RB Leipzig, was not even happening.
Kroos said he was reminded a little of last year, when he was also overwhelmed with questions about his future. It was only in April that it became clear that he would be extending his commitment to Real Madrid for a year – until the summer of 2024 – would extend.
The debates indeed bear the characteristics of déjà vu, with one small difference. At the time, there was no news of his mother speaking out; This time she spoke in the podcast “Einfach mal luppen”, which Toni Kroos discusses with his brother Felix, who is two years younger. “If I can express one wish, have a nice summer vacation and start the last season at Real Madrid,” Birgit Kroos said there.
“I always tell you the truth, and that is: I don’t know yet.”
“She talks a lot,” joked Toni Kroos on Monday. Heeding mom’s wish would mean two things. Firstly, that he would reject the much-debated return to the DFB team and sacrifice the European Championships for a trip. And secondly, that he wouldn’t end his career yet. Because he had already announced very apodictically years ago that he would be resigning as a Real Madrid player. Kroos has not yet sufficiently considered what will happen next. “I always tell you the truth,” Kroos told the journalists, “and the truth is: I don’t know yet.”
It has been clear for months that the uncertainty does not bother him. There is even talk in Madrid that he is having the best season of his career. His coach Ancelotti believes this debate is useless because Kroos has “always shown the same performance, a consistently high one, since the beginning of his career.” Although a gut man, Ancelotti pointed to the statistics: “You just have to look at the passing rate he had ten years ago, or when he played at Bayern Munich,” i.e. between 2007 and 2014. “His quality was always there, but she stands out even more when he plays in a team with a lot of energy, because that’s where his ability to determine the tempo of the game comes into play.” At Kroos’ side are young players with a lot of energy. For example: 21-year-old Edoardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde, who is four years older.
Kroos also did not get involved in debates on Monday about whether he had become better than before. But he admitted to being surprised at himself in one respect. When he said a few years ago that he couldn’t imagine playing at the highest level at the age of 36, he assumed that after fifteen years as a professional he would get tired of it. But now he realizes that his motivation is intact; in this respect, “my head surprises me more than my body.” Coach Ancelotti did not appear surprised; Kroos simply enjoys playing football; he is a footballer through and through. “I still have the same desire as I did ten years ago,” explained Kroos.
Is that an indication that he is playing in the European Championships? Or just stick with Real Madrid for another year, when he feels flattered that so many Real Madrid fans want him to stay? What is clear is that Ancelotti doesn’t want to get involved. He believes “that players and coaches” should strive to “go at their peak,” but whether that will be this summer or next, no one can say.
Whatever decision Kroos makes, it must be respected, said Ancelotti. Kroos has earned the right to decide what he wants.