"He told me he wanted to take the team to the next level" - Real Madrid icon reveals how Carlo Ancelotti convinced him to join Los Blancos
Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos has revealed how Carlo Ancelotti convinced him to sign for the club in 2014. Kroos joined Los Blancos in a €25 million move from Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window of 2014.
The former midfielder highlighted how the Italian tactician wanted to further improve the side despite winning the 2013/14 Champions League. He also talked about how it wasn't easy to leave Munich for Madrid, saying (via MadridXtra):
“Ancelotti brought me to Madrid in 2014, he strongly wanted me after the World Cup. They had just won the UEFA Champions League, and he told me he wanted to take the team to the next level. It was not easy to leave Bayern to join Real Madrid, but he made things simpler & motivated me.”
Kroos retired from football at the end of the 2023/24 season after winning the UEFA Champions League and LaLiga with Los Blancos. He played 465 matches with the Spanish giants, scoring 28 goals and assisting 99.
Toni Kroos on how he informed about his retirement to Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti
Toni Kroos spoke to MARCA earlier this year and admitted that it was difficult for him to inform his decision to retire to Carlo Ancelotti. The former midfielder explained how he chose a good moment to talk to the Real Madrid manager, saying (via 90min):
"It was very difficult for me to tell Carlo, because he expected me to stay and because we had and still have a very good relationship. He was my first coach here and it was not easy to tell him, but everything in life has an end. It wasn't easy. I knew he wouldn't be angry, but he would be a bit sad. It wasn't an easy moment for me either, because something that had been very special was coming to an end.
"I tried to choose a good moment, an easy moment...and I was lucky that we won LaLiga by a margin and I said 'now!' Because there was the perfect time between La Liga and the Champions League final. It would have been more difficult if we were playing for La Liga, because I didn't want this issue to be above everything else."
Kroos played 200 matches under Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid. The German got eight goals and 33 assists under the tactician at Santiago Bernabeu.