Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran names Brazil as the favourites for the World Cup
Real Madrid have several representatives in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. One player who is not participating in the tournament is veteran midfielder Toni Kroos.
The 32-year-old superstar announced his retirement from international football last year following Germany’s elimination from the UEFA Euro 2020.
There had been speculations that Die Mannschaft were trying to convince Kroos to reconsider his retirement and make himself available for the World Cup, but such a thing did not materialise.
Ahead of the World Cup, it was revealed the Real Madrid superstar will be working as a pundit for Magenta TV. And building to the event, Kroos has now revealed who he thinks has the best chance of winning the tournament.
“Brazil are the favourites in my opinion. I see them as a cut above other teams. Behind them, I see teams like France, Spain, Argentina, England, and Germany,” Kroos said (OneFootball h/t RMadridFrance).
Further discussing the competition, Kroos revealed which teams he will be following at the World Cup, saying:
“At the World Cup, I will follow Germany of course and the teams for which my teammates at Real play, so Spain, France, Croatia, Belgium, Uruguay and Brazil.”
Real Madrid have three players in the Brazil squad in Eder Militao, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes. France, too, have three Los Blancos stars in Karim Benzema, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga.
They have two stars representing Spain in the form of Dani Carvajal and Marco Asensio while Luka Modric will be captaining the Croatian national team.
Antonio Rudiger is part of the Germany setup while Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard will be taking the field for Belgium and Federico Valverde will represent Uruguay.
Before he was hired by Bayern Munich as the direct replacement for Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel was closely linked with a move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
The German tactician had kept a close eye on the development at Santiago Bernabeu, especially with coach Carlo Ancelotti facing immense pressure following the club’s poor performances in domestic competitions.
A recent report from Jorge Picon has offered more details on the Tuchel saga, suggesting that the coach was even learning Spanish during his time at Ibiza, anticipating a potential move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
There were even contacts made between Tuchel’s entourage and Real Madrid. Although the talks were positive, the two sides were not able to reach an agreement.
Real Madrid did not guarantee him the job. They had informed Tuchel that Ancelotti may continue at the Bernabeu in the event the club win the UEFA Champions League this season.
This bit of uncertainty played a critical role in convincing Tuchel to join Bayern Munich instead. The former Chelsea boss was hired as a direct replacement for Nagelsmann, who was sacked after a poor season in the Bundesliga by the club’s high standards.
However, Tuchel’s move to Bayern appears to be a missed opportunity on the German’s part, as Real Madrid have recently intensified their search for a new manager.
It is clear that the club’s hierarchy is yet to reach a consensus over the future of Ancelotti, with some believing that a change is necessary come the end of the season. In fact, the club’s president Florentino Perez has been an admirer of Tuchel’s compatriot Nagelsmann.
The coaching prodigy is one of the candidates to replace Ancelotti in the summer, though it is Mauricio Pochettion who is reportedly leading the race so far.
