"The best" - Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos sends message to Bayern Munich superstar after recent UCL clash
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos sent his wishes to Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer after the latter completed his 500th Bundesliga appearance.
The Bavarian outfit were recently knocked out of the UEFA Champions League following a semi-final defeat to Real Madrid. However, the German shot-stopper had cause for celebration when his team beat Wolfsburg 2-0 in the league on Sunday (May 12).
The 38-year-old has kept 225 clean sheets across competitions from his 500 Bundesliga appearances. He's played a total of 520 matches in all competitions for Bayern Munich, managing 244 clean sheets in the process.
Following his team's latest league victory, Neuer took to Instagram to share images from his special day and wrote in the caption:
"Thank you dear FC Bayern fans, for the great support in the last home game of the season! It was a very positive energy in the stadium, especially after the disappointment during the week."
"I'm very happy about the confident and focused performance by the whole team in my 500th Bundesliga match."
Kroos, who was a part of the Real Madrid team that knocked Neuer and Co. out of the Champions League, left a supportive message. Having shared the pitch 215 across competitions with the goalkeeper for Bayern Munich and Germany, the midfielder wrote:
"The Best!!!"
The Bavarians will now prepare for the final match of the season against Hoffenheim on Saturday (May 18) away from home.
Manuel Neuer comments after Bayern Munich's semi-final loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid set up the perfect second-leg semi-final tie in Spain after playing out a 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena. The Germans looked to be headed for the final, with Alphonso Davies bagging the second leg's opener in the 68th minute.
After managing to hold on to the lead until the 88th minute, the Bavarians let their opposition score twice before time and were knocked out of the competition. Neuer said following the game's completion (via GOAL):
"Anyone who's ever played football knows how I'm feeling right now. That we've been knocked out in the closing stages, having led 1-0 till the 85th minute, it's extremely bitter. We'd taken one step to London, we saw ourselves in the final and now I'm lost for words."
Bayern Munich have won Europe's highest club competition on six occasions. However, they won't be adding a seventh as Real Madrid prepare to face Borussia Dortmund in the final on June 1.