Toni Kroos arrived from Bayern Munich in 2014 and since then has won so many trophies with Real Madrid. The German star joined a top club like Bayern in such a young age and then Real Madrid immediately after and this really successful career has needed some sacrifices as well. He has been ‘driving in high speeds’ for more than 10 consecutive years. Toni is a special player for all of the talent and hard work on the green pitch on a daily basis (training and official games) and away from the football fields he knows his own mind too.
The midfielder has shown himself willing to take difficult decisions to control his own destiny. In 2021, at the relatively young age of 31, Kroos retired from international football, stepping back from his duties with Germany to focus on his Real Madrid career and of course to allow more time for himself and family due to this career of extremely high demands. After a certain age, despite being in a great form, the body and the mind may need more rest to keep performing at high level and this has been observed in every footballer throughout the history of football.
Time is the crucial theme in his calculations (and should be for everyone). Kroos felt that by giving up international football, he would gain himself time, not only in the short term, but also to prolong his career at the top. Fewer games to play, means more time to rest and regain the energies, fewer injuries and more time to focus on the physical and psychological improvements. The German currently has less than a year remaining on his Real Madrid contract, but everything indicates that he sees his future with the club beyond 2023. He is certainly capable and he appears to be willing as well.
That said, Kroos is doing things at his own pace and isn't likely to entertain a lengthy contract extension that takes his future out of his own hands. "I think 2023 is a good date and deliberately chosen. I'll be 33-years-old then. Then we'll be able to sit down and decide together whether we want to extend our association by a year or two. I'm completely open to that possibility", Kroos said back in 2021.
The club, for their part, tried to tempt Kroos to commit his future last season, offering him an extension. However, the midfielder deemed that it wasn't the right time to take such a decision. Kroos was keen to see how his body responded to the season and recovered from the pubis bone injury which caused him problems early in the campaign.
Going on recent evidence, he appears to have passed those tests with flying colours. The relationship between Kroos and Real Madrid certainly remains excellent, but he is his own man and won't be pressured into rushing his decisions by anyone. The club and the fans respect that and after all, he is a player worth waiting on.
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