A legend of world football retired this summer after his country’s European Championship exit, but Toni Kroos did have a stellar tournament on an individual level for Germany after an even better – and successful – Champions League with Real Madrid.
There have been rumblings of who could replace Kroos for Real Madrid on the transfer market, but the Merengue club are notorious for only signing players they are 100 percent sold on.
And it doesn’t seem like they are sold on anyone who has a profile near Kroos as a controller, which isn’t surprising since the “German Sniper” had such a unique skill-set.
Even so, Real Madrid believe they don’t need to replace Kroos because they already have an in-house Kroos “replacement”, and that is the man who took his very special No. 8 jersey, Fede Valverde, per Fernando S. Tavero of Diario AS,
Valverde is a totally different player to Kroos, but he’s actually become a better playmaker and stabilizing passer as he has grown with experience – and we all know his improved technical ability with his wicked longshots.
A perfect modern No. 8, Valverde had a great 2023/24 season for Real Madrid with seven assists with 1.3 key passes per match and 2.5 combined tackles and interceptions per game.
His numbers at Copa America as Uruguay’s captain were pretty much exactly the same on a per-rate basis, with Valverde successfully leading his country to the semifinals in a quietly strong tournament.
Valverde isn’t a controller like Kroos, but he is a great creator in his own right and is a defensive beast who can play multiple positions, progressing the ball at an elite level while providing an additional goal threat.
Real Madrid can’t replace Kroos directly, but they don’t need to be fooled into breaking the bank for a sub-standard option and set themselves back from signing an upgrade elsewhere.
No, between world-class young players like Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni, Real Madrid have the right mix of profiles to move forward with a new generation of midfield talent in the post-Kroos (and then Luka Modric) period.
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