Toni Kroos announces his retirement, his possible replacement at Real Madrid for $119 million

After many months of speculation suggesting he would leave or he would stay another season, Toni Kroos officially announced that he would retire from professional football after the EUROS 2024. His last match for Real Madrid will be the Champions League Final against Borussia Dortmund on June 1st at Wembley Stadium. The Spanish club wanted to keep Kroos for another season after an impressive 2023/2024 campaign with Real Madrid. Now, since the midfielder is leaving the club and leaving football, Real Madrid will likely go for Florian Wirtz this summer, who is valued at $119 million. Earlier this month, BILD reported that Real Madrid wanted Wirtz to replace Toni Kroos next year, believing that Kroos would stay next season. Now, with Kroos heading out, Madrid could potentially try to sign Wirtz this summer instead of next summer, who would be a free agent in 2025. The Spanish club could negotiate with Bayer Leverkusen for a lower fee than $119 million since the German club wouldn’t want to let go of Wirtz for free.

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On Instagram, Kroos shocked the football world as he announced his retirement from football and praised Real Madrid for the time he has spent there. Kroos mentioned that he didn’t want to play for another club and wanted to retire at the highest level possible. The German midfielder is set to play his last match for Real Madrid in the Champions League final, which would be his 6th trophy if Real Madrid defeats Borussia Dortmund on June 1st.

Kroos wrote, “July 17th, 2014 - the day of my presentation at Real Madrid, the day that changed my life. My life as a footballer - but especially as a person. It was the start of a new chapter at the biggest club in the world. After 10 years, at the end of the season this chapter comes to an end. I will never forget that insolent successful time! I would particularly like to thank everyone that welcomed me with an open heart and trusted me. But especially I would like to thank you, dear Madridistas, for your affection and your love from the first day until the last one.”

Real Madrid also released a statement regarding Kroos’ announcement on their website. Real Madrid wrote, “Real Madrid C. F. communicates that Toni Kroos has decided to end his career as a professional player after Euro 2024. Real Madrid wants to express its gratitude and affection to Toni Kroos, a player who is already part of the history of Real Madrid and who is one of the great legends of our club and world football.”

Players like Vinicius Jr., Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vasquez, and more have written to Kroos about his decision to retire. Real Madrid fans’ praise also followed, and former players like Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo also reacted to the decision, feeling heartbroken. Relevo reports that weeks ago, Kroos and Real Madrid reached an agreement to continue for another year, but the midfielder changed his mind for sporting and family reasons.

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Toni Kroos’ achievements at Real Madrid

While playing for Real Madrid, Kroos has won four Champions Leagues, five FIFA Club World Cups, four La Liga trophies, four UEFA Super Cups, one Copa del Rey, and four Spanish Super Cups. Kroos has two more games remaining for Real Madrid, which are the games against Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu and the UCL Final at Wembley vs Dortmund. Before this weekend, Kroos had played a total of 463 matches, where he scored 28 goals and provided 98 assists in all competitions.