“You don’t see the work he puts in” - When Toni Kroos explained how Cristiano Ronaldo became one of the best players in the world
One of the most respected players of all time, Toni Kroos, in a recent interview spoke glowingly about his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. The two not only shared the dressing room at the Spanish giants, but Kroos revealed that they also lived in the same neighborhood.
The German recently retired after representing Germany at Euro 2024. Ronaldo, on the other hand, continues plying his trade, currently playing for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.
Kroos joined Cristiano in Madrid in 2014 and the two played together between 2014 and 2018. In those four seasons, they helped Real Madrid end their Champions League drought, winning the 'La Decima' and also completed a three-peat of the biggest European club trophy. They tasted success domestically as well, with the duo an integral part of Madrid's La Liga winning 2016-17 campaign.
Speaking to his Academy kids two weeks ago, the German is reported by Madrid Xtra to have highlighted the hard work Cristiano Ronaldo puts in that rarely gets mentioned.
"You should always strive to be the best version of yourself. One of my favorite examples is Cristiano Ronaldo. You only see the finished product. You don’t see the work he puts in," Kroos told the next generation.
Cristiano left Madrid in 2018 to join Juventus, where he tasted further success. Kroos, meanwhile, continued to play for Los Blancos after the Portuguese's departure.
"I was Cristiano Ronaldo's next-door neighbor" - Toni Kroos
The former Bayern Munich midfielder, while highlighting Ronaldo's professionalism also joked about the now 39-year-old's fascination with fast cars.
“What people see is that he scores a ton of goals and drives fast cars. I was his next-door neighbor, and I can say that he has a lot of fast cars. I also have one," Toni Kroos quipped while sharing a giggle.
He then went on to mention why the 'car' angle was so significant in his story, waxing lyrical about Cristiano Ronaldo's ambition.
“Every time I went to training, his car was already there. Every time I left training, his car was still there. What he achieved was because of incredible ambition and hard work," the German said.
Both Toni Kroos and Cristiano Ronaldo are considered two of the greatest players to play for Real Madrid. Toni Kroos won more trophies with the club in his 465 appearances. However, the Portuguese attacker, in his nine-year stint in Spain, represented Los Blancos in 438 appearances and scored an astonishing 450 goals for them in that time.