Kroos reveals the reasons for his early retirement sports
German Toni Kroos, a former Real Madrid player, revealed the reasons that prompted him to retire early while he was at the height of his brilliance and talent.
Kroos announced his retirement last May with Real Madrid, and ended his career with the German national team in July after the Germans were eliminated from Euro 2024.
Cross admitted that he would not have actually retired if he had been a tennis player.
During a chat with German tennis star Alexander Zverev, Kroos explained how he played badminton before football when he was a child, as his mother was a champion in this sport.
“So I found joy in tennis quickly. If I were a tennis player, I wouldn't have stopped yet,” the midfielder admitted.
He added, “I always wanted to end my career at the highest level. I played with a lot of outstanding players, but few of them succeeded. There are still changes here and there. The constant travel and being away from family has exhausted me over the years. Maybe 5 years from now I will say that it was too early.” “Very well, but now I feel good.”
He continued, “In tennis, you decide whether you will bring your wife and children to tournaments. You decide who your team is, who sits in the booth and who sleeps in your bed the night before the match. This does not happen in team sports.”
He continued, “In August I went on vacation for the first time in my life, and now when I take the children to school, I drive home afterward and not to train.”
Visit Valdebebas
Kroos admitted that he visits Valdebebas, “Real Madrid’s training center,” to see his former teammates, even though he does not see himself as part of the crew.
“I don't know if they would think it would be cool if I showed up from time to time and said I wanted to join,” he said.
He added, “Right now there is a risk that Carlo Ancelotti will tell me, 'Stay here now.' I don't feel like training adults. I will open a youth academy in Madrid, so they will have to believe in it if I play with them.”
Regarding the reasons for Real Madrid’s successes, he said, “They always did it very intelligently. We always had to include a lot of quality players, but after that we started to rely on young players.”