Cristiano Ronaldo feels privileged to have shared the pitch with his former Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos. The German midfielder has decided to draw curtains on his illustrious football career after featuring in the upcoming EURO on home soil. In his retirement post, Kroos also revealed that the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund would be his final appearance in the Real Madrid shirt. Kroos has been part of Los Blancos since 2014. He has lifted as many as 22 trophies with the Spanish side including four Champions League and as many La Liga titles.
When Kroos was unveiled at the Santiago Bernabeu, Cristiano Ronaldo had already established his stature as one of the key players of Real Madrid. Kroos also didn’t take much time to become a leader of the midfield. While playing together for Real Madrid, Kroos provided Ronaldo with many assists.
The duo shared the pitch in 170 matches across all competitions. They combined to score 16 goals and helped Real Madrid win 11 titles. Their partnership broke after Ronaldo left the Spanish capital in 2018 to join the Italian club, Juventus.
After Kroos’ retirement note surfaced on Instagram, many Germany and Real Madrid fans expressed their admiration for the midfield maestro in the comment box.
Ronaldo also reacted to the post and wrote, “Thanks for everything, Toni! What an honour to share the pitch with you. All the best for the future!”
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Another Portuguese footballer and former Real Madrid defender Pepe also commented on the post, underlining the “legacy” of Toni Kroos. His club teammate David Alaba wrote, “You know I’m upset. Love you, Anton. You are a legend.” Veteran German forward Thomas Muller seemed excited to play alongside Kroos in the upcoming EURO. “You’re not done yet. Last dance,” Muller commented.
Kroos earlier announced his retirement from the international circuit post the 2020 EURO, which was held a year later due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He, however, reversed his decision earlier this year to compete in the European championship, slated to begin on June 15. Not only at the club level, Kroos has also achieved tremendous success with the German national team. He was an active member of the squad which triumphed in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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