“A phone call and we'll start again” - When Carlo Ancelotti opened up about Toni Kroos returning to Real Madrid after the midfielder’s retirement
Former Germany and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos announced in May that he would retire from football after Euro 2024. A month after the announcement, his former club manager Carlo Ancelotti left the door open in case Kroos ever changed his mind.
The 34-year-old stayed true to his word and retired from professional football after the European Championships. Ancelotti, however, revealed that he had a talk with the German and would welcome him back with open arms if he decided to return.
In an interview with Il Giornale in June 2024, Ancelotti said (via GOAL):
"Modric is a unique example of quality and personality. Unfortunately, Kroos has decided to stop, he is a German in his choices but he will continue to live in Madrid, I told him that if, in the autumn, he had to change his mind, a phone call and we'll start again."
Kroos signed for Real Madrid in 2014 for a fee rumoured to be around €25 million. The transfer fee would turn out to be a bargain as he played a significant role as Los Blancos returned to Europe's elite, winning five Champions League trophies and four La Liga titles in the ten years he spent at the club.
When Real Madrid star Kroos shocked the world with his retirement announcement
The 34-year-old announced ahead of the Euros that this would be his last professional tournament as a player. This news shocked the football community as the Real Madrid ace was a key player for the club in the 2023/24 season.
Kroos made 48 appearances in all competitions for the Spanish side last term as they did the La Liga and Champions League double. Despite the success, the German made the announcement on his Instagram account (via The Hindu):
"My career as an active footballer will end this summer after the Euro championship."
A couple of days later, he explained why he decided to call it quits despite performing at a high level. In the Einfach mal Luppen podcast that Toni Kroos hosts with brother Felix, he mentioned that he wanted to "finish his career at Real Madrid."
"Anyone who has listened carefully over the last few years will have heard me say that the only option for me is to finish my career at Real Madrid. My last season at Real means that this summer will be the end. No more Real, no more football. It's much easier to think about it for a long time than to say it," Kroos explained (via Forbes).
Germany exited the Euros in the quarter-finals after conceding a 119th-minute goal against Spain, which brought an end to Toni Kroos' glittering career.