Toni Kroos

Written by Nicolas Horn and Christian Spiller for Die Zeit:

The best German footballer is playing for Germany again. Toni Kroos retired from the national team after the 2021 Euros, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family and concentrate on club football at Real Madrid. But Nagelsmann launched the Kroos return project as soon as he took office. “Of course, I was also disturbed by the way the mood in Germany was steadily deteriorating,” Kroos said in the podcast hosted by him and his brother, Felix. He wanted to help Germany. Kroos does not lack self-confidence and his younger teammates speak of him like Catholics speak of the Pope. The midfield maestro immediately brought calm to a deeply unsettled team that lost to Japan, Austria and Turkey in 2023. He has achieved everything in Madrid, winning the Champions League several times (and once with Bayern), but still has something to prove in the national team. Kroos says he felt partly responsible for Euro 2018 and 2021, when Germany went out early. After the Euros he will launch the Icon League, a new small-pitch competition, with streamer Elias Nerlich.