Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has announced his decision to retire from football at the end of the season, effective immediately at the culmination of this summer’s Euro 2024 tournament.
The Germany international has won over a century of caps and, having initially retired from national team action in mid-2021, returned at the request of Julian Nagelsmann earlier this year. He is set to play a central role for Germany when they host the European Championship.
Before that, though, he has one notable final fixture left at club level: the Champions League final, where he will look to add an incredible sixth European Cup to his personal collection, having already won four with this year’s LaLiga champions and another in 2013 with Bayern Munich.
Posting to Instagram to confirm his impending retirement, 34-year-old Kroos noted his last remaining intention was to “go for No.15”, referencing Real’s attempts to win their 15th European Cup.
After a decade at Madrid, during which time he also won four league titles and five Club World Cups, Kroos has featured well over 450 times for Los Blancos, placing him in the top 20 of all time appearance-makers for the Spanish club.
While his club career has been trophy-laden, Kroos also has international honours after winning the 2014 World Cup, following a third-place finish four years earlier. Euro 2024 will be his final attempt to add to the collection.
His retirement post in full reads:
“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 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. At the same time this decision means that my career as an active footballer will end this summer after the Euro championship.
“As I have always said: Real Madrid is and will be my last club. I am happy and proud, that in my mind I found the right timing for my decision and that I could choose it by my own. My ambition was always to finish my career at the peak of my performance level. From now on there is only one leading thought: a por la 15!!! HALA MADRID Y NADA MAS!”
