For some reason, Real Madrid center midfielder Toni Kroos remains one of the most underrated and even disrespected footballers in the world despite an unparalleled list of accomplishments.
A five-time Champions League winner for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, Kroos was the highest-rated player by Castrol Index in 2014 when Germany dominated the World Cup.
Yet at the last European Championships, Kroos, arguably the only competent player in his side, was disgraced in the German media and made to answer for the failures of an entire organization.
He promptly retired in response to the hatred, won the Champions League, and laughed as Germany floundered without him. In 2024 with Julian Nagelsmann at the helm, Germany came calling back, begging the legend to bring his iconic Adidas boots back.
In just nine seconds on his return, Kroos set up the goal Florian Wirtz dispatched to help Germany shock France. Germany would eventually win 2-0 against the reigning World Cup finalists, sending a massive statement throughout the international footballing world.
Truthfully, the statement was made by Kroos within nine seconds. For as long as he has been a part of the national team, he has been one of its greatest assets as a deep playmaker and tempo-setter, just as he has been for the Real Madrid juggernaut.
Madridistas have always spoken about Kroos in the highest regard, as a near-perfect passer and impervious leader who reads the game of chess before him like nobody else in the midfield can.
Now, perhaps, German fans will do the same and stop taking their great midfielder for granted, which is clearly what they did – at a minimum – during his last stint with the national team.
Kroos, even at the age of 34, is a class above many of his teammates. He can help Kai Havertz, who scored in the win, achieve much more and combine with Ilkay Gundogan, Joshua Kimmich, and new phenom Florian Wirtz to bring German football back.
With the 2024 European Championships in Germany itself looming, Kroos’ return couldn’t have come at a better time. And all Real Madrid fans can do is sit back with an “I told you so” face.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Through The Phog covering the Kansas Jayhawks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. He has also written about the MLB for Call to the Pen, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for The Pewter Plank, the Carolina Panthers for Cat Crave, the NFL and world football for FanSided.com, and college basketball for Busting Brackets. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and various major media publications and newspapers around the world. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.
