Real Madrid News
Toni Kroos talks Florentino Perez, Casemiro exit, Guardiola, Germany retirement
Speaking on Vamos (h/t MARCA), Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has opened up on his equation with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, while also reflecting on his time under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich.
Kroos joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2014, right after winning the FIFA World Cup with Germany. And the iconic midfielder credits Perez for the transfer while also hailing the club supremo for always being honest and upfront with him.
“If we talk about Real Madrid, we have to talk about Florentino. He’s the man who signed me and received me with great affection from day one till today. I’ve never had problems with him, we’ve always been honest with each other, and he has always given me his trust.”
Before moving to the Santiago Bernabeu, Kroos was at Bayern Munich where he was playing under one of the best managers in the game in Guardiola. Opening up on how the Catalan coach tried hard to convince him to stay at the Allianz Arena, the midfielder said:
“Guardiola fought until the last day to keep me at Bayern Munich. If I had to choose my ideal coach for my playing style, it would be Pep. He improved me a lot.”
At Real Madrid, Kroos formed a legendary midfield trio along with Luka Modric and Casemiro. However, the iconic trident was broken apart this past summer with the Brazilian leaving for Manchester United in a move that came as a surprise for Kroos.
“I was surprised that Casemiro left. It is true that there were rumours but there are always rumours and often nothing happens. But when he told me he was leaving, I was sad, I started to remember all the years I spent with him and all we achieved together,” he said.
The FIFA World Cup will start in a couple of weeks, but Kroos will not play a part as he announced his retirement from international football last year. Explaining his decision to call time on his career with the German national team, he said:
“The reasons for my retirement were to spend more time with my family, secondly because now there are players who deserve to play more and I didn’t want to reach the time when they would come and tell me it was better for me to retire. I wanted to decide.”
The current edition of the Real Madrid squad is full of young talents, who have shown remarkable potential in recent years.
Arda Guler is among the young players looking to make a mark in European football in the years to come.
The young Turk joined Real Madrid earlier this summer, rejecting many other European giants in the process.
Toni Kroos mentoring Guler at Real Madrid
Guler has not enjoyed the best of starts to his life at Santiago Bernabeu, as he is spending a brief time on the sidelines due to an injury.
However, Guler has not stopped working on his characteristics, as he looks to kickstart his Real Madrid career on a positive note.
To that end, the former Fenerbahce starlet is receiving some key support from one of Real Madrid’s midfield pillars in the form of Toni Kroos.
This is according to MARCA, which suggests that the German international is mentoring Guler in his early days at Santiago Bernabeu.
Kroos: huge ‘sponsor’ of Guler
The report highlights how Toni Kroos is a huge admirer of Arda Guler. The German had even heaped praise on the youngster from Turkey when he joined the club earlier in the summer.
Guler, therefore, is closely training with Kroos, whose years of experience, composure, and knowledge of football, could help the youngster grow at Santiago Bernabeu.
This fits in well with Carlo Ancelotti’s vision at Real Madrid, as the Italian boss wants youngsters to have room to grow, especially with guidance from some of the older guards in the team.
It is one of the key reasons Real Madrid wanted to stick to Kroos and Luka Modric, despite bringing in Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham in the summer.
Guler, therefore, has the stage set for him to start his Real Madrid career on a strong note. After impressing in training, the next step for the youngster is to make a promising debut, which is just around the corner.
