Real Madrid News
Real Madrid legend reiterates desire to retire at club: “Going to finish my career here”
Speaking on his podcast Einfach Mal Luppen (h/t COPE), Real Madrid midfielder and legend Toni Kroos reiterated his wish to retire at the Santiago Bernabeu amidst question marks over his future.
Kroos has been with Real Madrid for close to nine years now, having arrived from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014.
The 33-year-old midfielder has won a whole host of trophies during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, establishing himself as a legend of the club.
However, of late, there has been speculations surrounding his future as Kroos’ current contract with Los Blancos expires at the end of the season.
The midfielder, however, has previously stated that he intends to hang up his boots at Real Madrid and does not plan on playing for a different club.
And during the podcast, he reiterated the same desire, while adding that he is yet to decide when he will call time on his glorious career.
“I’m going to finish my career here. I just don’t know exactly when yet,” Kroos said.
During the chat, he also clarified that there had been no pressure from the club for him to take a decision on his future at the earliest. Kroos also added that he had some tendency towards wanting to continue his relationship with Real Madrid, even though he is yet to take a final decision.
The 33-year-old’s contract decision could have repercussions on the future of his midfield partner and fellow club legend Luka Modric.
The Croatian will be turning 38 years old later this year and with his contract also expiring in June, it has been reported that Real Madrid will only offer him a new deal based on the decisions of Kroos and transfer target Jude Bellingham.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder trained away from the group last week, but has no injury – report
With the international break underway, several Real Madrid players have been called up for national team assignments. The stars who have not travelled for international duty have continued to work at the club’s Valdebebas training facility to prepare for the restart.
Toni Kroos is one such player who has remained in Madrid, having retired from international football back in 2021.
However, there had been concerns growing around the 33-year-old’s physical condition as he regularly did indoor work last week and was not spotted in group training with his teammates.
Now, Sergio Quirante has come up with an update on Kroos’ situation, stating that even though the midfielder largely did individual work inside the facilities over the last week, he is fine and has no injuries.
Taking advantage of the international break, the former Bayern Munich superstar is understood to have gone through an individual program to prepare for the final, decisive stretch of the 2022/23 season.
Kroos not being injured comes as a big positive for Real Madrid, ahead of important games against Real Valladolid and Barcelona within the first five days of April.
The rest of the Real Madrid midfield contingent – Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Dani Ceballos – are all away on international duties and could return with some fatigue from the travel.
So, it is important that Kroos is fully fit and ready to go as Real Madrid look to cut down the gap to the top of the table in La Liga and also make it to the finals of the Copa del Rey by overturning a first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Kroos has played 37 matches this season, chipping in with two goals and five assists in the process. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it is still unclear whether he will renew or hang up his boots.
