Toni Kroos left ‘crushed’ in the center circle as the German legend’s illustrious career ended in a most poignant fashion – The US Sun

TONI KROOS himself admitted that retiring after Champions League and Euro glory would be too “tacky” to be considered plausible.

And so, unfortunately, everything happened in a devastating way.

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Very few football legends manage to walk away from the sport at their peak, and if anyone deserved it, it was Kroos, but it rarely feels that way.

Ending his career in the European dreamland with Real Madrid at Wembley on June 1 would be the start of a magical farewell summer for the 34-year-old.

Instead, his last competitive match with his boots laced up ended in Stuttgart at the end of a thrilling 2-1 extra-time Euro quarter-final defeat to a formidable Spanish side.

The cheesy dream is over, and it’s an inappropriate way for one of the game’s greats to move forward. Football can be incredibly cruel sometimes.

In his 114th match in a Germany shirt – and 19th at the Euros – he brought the greatest successes, showing exactly why he was and is world class, at the same time as he was technically unemployed, having let his contract with Madrid expire in the month past.

The intelligence, the gracefulness, the intelligence and the evil. The winning mentality and leadership exhumed in a calm and controlled manner. Everything was on display.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente joked in preparation that the only way to stop Kroos was to tie his feet.

This leaves the rest of us wondering why he is retiring in the first place?

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Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, from Portugal, and Lionel Messi, 37, from Argentina, continue to lead their countries on the world’s biggest stages, so why not continue?

Kroos will tell you that he wants to spend more time with his wife Jessica and their three children in their beautiful villa in Mallorca.

What he may not admit is that there were moments during this epic encounter that showed why he might be right to hang up his boots now rather than later.

At times Kroos struggled with the pace of 16-year-old Lamine Yamal and 21-year-old Nico Williams and the physicality of Rodri.

And when Dani Olmo entered the box unmarked to score and open the scoring for Spain in the 51st minute, a cruel spectator would argue that Kroos should have been tighter.

By the end, he looked physically and mentally drained, showing rare signs of frustration and anger as his final minutes in the international football spotlight faded.

Despite this, his influence at elite level remained, particularly in Germany’s patience before Florian Wirtz grabbed a late equaliser.

He would certainly have had a penalty had it not been for Mikel Merino’s thrilling goal in the 119th minute.

Throughout the game, the home fans chanted ‘Toni, Toni’ whenever they got the chance.

From the start, his passing was full of cuteness and deception, casting glances at Rodri and floating for Havertz to challenge.

We also saw the boldness, the cunning that kept him at the top for so many years, flying and crushing the young talent Pedri, leaving him in a heap on the ground.

Kroos sneakily ran as far as possible before referee Anthony Taylor could even think about reaching into his pocket.

Pedri ended up having to be replaced with his head in his hands. Kroos looked perplexed. He did a job on his opponent and came out on top, as he normally does.

He would commit five more fouls in this match before receiving a yellow card.

At times he was the third defender, dictating from as deep as possible in order to find the space he wanted to look up and create with that wand of his right foot.

You can see why boss Julian Nagelsmann brought him back into the fold in March 2024.

Kroos initially retired from international football in the summer of 2021 following Germany’s elimination in the round of 16 of Euro 2020 at the hands of England at Wembley, leaving the country bereft of ideas in that position.

The way Kroos still manages to slow down a match on his own with composure of thought and those marked diagonals is remarkable.

It’s the kind of skill you learn when you’ve been around the block as long as he has, winning a World Cup in 2014, as well as four Bundesliga titles, four La Liga titles and six Champions League titles – five with Real Madrid and one with Bayern Munich.

It’s worth pausing to consider what would have happened in Kroos’ career if he had joined Manchester United in the summer of 2014 rather than Real Madrid, having agreed to do so before David Moyes was sacked and Carlo Ancelotti struck .

Let’s put it this way: he wouldn’t have been so decorated…

German legend Lothar Matthaus – following the 2-0 Euro 2020 defeat to the Three Lions – claimed that Kroos was “no longer world class”. How wrong he proved to be.

Kroos continued to press and probe before Germany’s deserved equalizer in the 89th minute through Wirtz, one of six substitutions Nagelsmann made during 120 minutes of football.

There was never a possibility of Kroos being removed. No one can replicate what he does, even with tired, cramping legs that meant he needed treatment in stoppage time before the result painfully wore off. He limped around the field at full time like a lost soul.

You will have plenty of time to rest in Mallorca, Toni. Enjoy this long and well-deserved rest.