Toni Kroos wants to retire at Real Madrid
Real Madrid fans can breathe a sigh of relief over the future of midfielder Toni Kroos. The classy German star is prepared to snub both Manchester United and Manchester City in an effort to retire with the La Liga giants.
Kroos may not be the first name you think of when you imagine Real Madrid, but he’s been a regular fixture in their starting XI since his arrival two seasons ago. He’s been in particularly fine form this season. His Whoscored.com player rating average of 7.89 actually leads the club. In particular, his six assists have helped power Los Blancos to the top of the La Liga table.
Given his quality, it’s no surprise that the likes of United and City would want to steal him away from Madrid. There aren’t many clubs in the world who wouldn’t benefit from a talent like Kroos in their midfield. Unfortunately for both Premier League clubs, no amount of money will be enough to pry the midfielder away from his current home.
Part of Kroos’ thinking is that he doesn’t believe he will continue to ply his trade into even his mid-30s. His current contract with Real will take him to the age of 32. He’s told people close to him that it’s entirely possible he’ll call it a day once his current contract runs out.
It’s hard not to wonder whether or not the trials and tribulations of Bastian Schweinsteiger in England have led to his decision. United manager Jose Mourinho has effectively put Germany’s most decorated midfielder out to pasture. It’s a very ugly end to what has been a stellar career for Schweinsteiger.
You can’t blame Kroos for making the decision that he doesn’t want the end of his career to go that way. Instead of hanging out for every day of his football life, he seems content to walk away from the game he loves when his skills begin to decline. He’ll have made plenty of money by then and will have his choice of other things to do once his playing days are over.
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It must be said that a lot can change in five years though. Kroos wants to retire at Real Madrid now, but the opportunity could easily be lost if his form starts to dip. He should be careful of making sweeping declarations about where he will and won’t play football.
At the moment though, we should take him at his word. The Real Madrid star seems perfectly content to snub both Manchester clubs and spend the rest of his career in the Spanish capital.