The midfielder could add vital control to a chaotic side looking to turn its major tournament woes around
It was June 23, 2018, and Germany's World Cup defence seemed set to collapse. As Toni Kroos stood over a free-kick, a shade over from the left corner flag, in the 95th minute, with no apparent angle to hit the target, Die Mannschaft's tournament appeared all but over. His side were level, 1-1, with Sweden, and after results elsewhere went against them, anything short of three points would effectively end their hopes in Russia after just 180 minutes of football.
Kroos, though, changed things. A perfectly executed set-piece – a roll to Marco Reus, followed by a whipped effort into the top corner – gave the Germans a 2-1 win, keeping their tournament alive. That would be Kroos' last big moment in his national team's colours. Germany would go on to dramatically lose to South Korea in their final group game, while their pandemic-delayed Euro 2020 campaign ended prematurely in a last-16 loss to England.
By that time, the midfield maestro was being hammered in the German press, and cast aside by veterans of the game. His nation had, in effect, turned against him, and Kroos showed little remorse in stepping away from the international game in 2021.
Fast-forward nearly three years, and that has all changed. Groovy, expansive manager Julian Nagelsmann has brought Kroos back into the side, and the midfielder, once disgraced, disregarded and discarded, is now poised to be a crucial part of a side that needs to perform as they host Euro 2024. He doesn't return as a saviour, nor is it a particularly emotional return. Rather, Kroos has regained his spot in the team on merit, a player reborn and ready to inject quality into what seemed a struggling side.
Getty ImagesThe best player at the World Cup
In 2014, Kroos was simply a joy to watch. Joachim Low had assembled a wonderfully balanced midfield. Bastian Schweinsteiger operated as the No.6, all hard tackles and ball circulation, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil pushed forward, and Kroos did all of the bits in-between. This was the perfect example of an unathletic player made to look like a formidable one, covering ground and dominating it with the kind of subtlety of the great tempo-setting midfielders of the game.
The numbers confirmed what the eye could already tell: Kroos was the top performer at the 2014 World Cup. FIFA's Castrol Index, a system that ranked every single player at the tournament, gave Kroos the highest rating in Brazil, pipping Arjen Robben for the top spot.
That tournament introduced Kroos on the global stage, and was enough to convince Real Madrid to snap him up for what now seems an absolute bargain €30 million (£26m/$33m).
AdvertisementGettyHow it all fell apart
Germany have struggled in major tournaments since that World Cup win, however. Their golden generation finally faltered at Euro 2016 – although Kroos was named to the team of the tournament – and the team has since undergone a sequence of disappointments and dramatic failures. 2018 saw them eliminated in the group stage – Kroos' free-kick heroics notwithstanding.
Euro 2020, though, proved to be the end for the midfielder on the national stage. Die Mannschaft struggled all over the pitch in that tournament, and were thoroughly beaten by England in the round of 16. Kroos, perhaps unfairly, took the blame, singled out as the real issue for a side that had inconsistencies in various areas of the field. The midfielder retired shortly after, claiming that he wanted to focus on club football – and saw his career with the team coming to an end.
"I had made the decision to quit after this tournament for a long time. It had been clear to me for a long time that I would not be available for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar," he said.
But the other motives were clear. Kroos, despite being capped 106 times, had become the scapegoat. How could he stay and play for a country that no longer believed in him?
GettyHis Madrid season to date
Last January, Ancelotti seemed to indicate to Kroos that he might be on his way out in Madrid. He suggested that the German and fellow veteran midfielder Luka Modric must prepare for a "moment of transition" in the Spanish capital. At the time, it made sense. Kroos struggled for long stretches of the 2022-23 campaign, his aging legs leaving gaps in the suddenly exploitable Madrid midfield. All of the good things about his game remained – the pass completion percentage, ability to shoot from distance, set-piece excellence – but the defensive frailties that always could have cropped up revealed themselves in full.
But this year, at 34, Kroos is a player revitalised. The Madrid side is better balanced. Ancelotti now plays with four midfielders, and has pushed the relentless Federico Valverde into a deeper position to cover the blades of grass that Kroos simply can't reach quickly enough. As a result, Kroos can do all of the things he's good at, while having those weaknesses that have crept into his game unexposed. With 20 La Liga starts to date, Kroos seems set to eclipse his number from last year. His seven league assists are his highest total in three years.
Getty ImagesChaos in Germany
The landscape Kroos will walk into isn't the easiest. There aren't just major tournament issues at play here. Germany have struggled immensely in recent months, facing managerial turnover and poor results. Nagelsmann, hired in September 2023, is yet to convince at the helm. The former Bayern manager has won just one win in his first four games – an unconvincing victory over an underperforming US side.
Some of his tactics have been questioned, too. He used Kai Havertz as a left-back in a 3-2 loss to Turkey, while his inability to get the best out of Leroy Sane – who was sent off against Austria in November – has also been of concern. His player pool has also been an issue; Nagelsmann's old favourites from Bayern are all enduring difficult campaigns domestically, and have carried their poor form into the national team. Piece it all together, and this is a once-great power that needs help.
