When Toni Kroos makes his farewell exit from club football at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, the setting could not be more ironic
The final game for a modern-day legend, as Real Madrid faces Borussia Dortmund at the national stadium in search of his SIXTH Champions League title.
Toni Kroos was reportedly close to joining Manchester United.
Signing Toni Kroos could have been as significant as Eric Cantona.
If things had turned out differently a decade ago, Kroos might have been waving goodbye at the same venue seven days earlier, wearing a Manchester United shirt.
Following Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes declared it his top objective to bring the then-Bayern Munich midfielder to Old Trafford.
A meeting with Kroos and his wife Jessica went so well that the German informed Moyes he would gladly swap Munich for Manchester.
He confirmed this a few years ago, saying, “When we split up, I verbally committed to do it. So, yes, it was near; I almost went for United.”
Moyes was naturally excited by the notion… He was well aware of the implications of having one of the world’s best playmakers in charge of the United engine room.
Some well-known football figures believe, with retrospect, that signing Kroos may have been as crucial in Old Trafford history as Eric Cantona.
Moyes and United never had a chance to find out. He was let go in April, and instead of packing his bags for England, Kroos flew to Spain.
Even though Louis van Gaal, the man who had made him a regular at Bayern, was now in charge, Carlo Ancelotti had persuaded him that Real Madrid was a better fit.
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Given the fortunes of both clubs in later years, the player’s decision is not one he regrets, despite his desire to prove himself in the Premier League.
United fans will long ponder how different it could have been if Kroos had controlled the midfield instead of Marouane Fellaini.
As the Reds alternated between mayhem and hilarity, Kroos, 34, and teammate Luka Modric became probably Europe’s best midfield duo. Definitely the most consistent.
Modric, 38, has been such a success that he is one of just two players to win the Ballon d’Or in the last 15 years, aside from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (the other being Karim Benzema).
Amazingly, Kroos has never cracked the top three. While the limelight has focused on others, he has remained in the background.
Although within the Bernabeu’s halls of power, there has never been any dispute about his role.
If Ronaldo, Benzema, Gareth Bale, and co. were the fast Ferraris, Kroos’ German efficiency kept everything on course.
Five years ago, following his 250th appearance for Real Madrid, one remarkable statistic revealed a passing accuracy of 90% in all of them.
He has been the human personification of vorsprung durch Technik. Ultra-reliable, unflappable, and extremely successful.
A pensioner on the pitch, yet the one all the young bucks look to for guidance and counsel.
Jude Bellingham is such a generational talent that he was bound to make an immediate impact at Real. But he understands how much support he had in making his debut season in Spain a success.
That’s why, when Kroos announced his departure this summer, Bellingham was the first to respond. His simple tweet with the broken heart and goat emojis said it all.
A similar tale has played out on a global scale. That’s why when Julian Nagelsmann took over as Germany’s manager, he wasted no time convincing him to return to the national team.
That occurred in February… A month later, Kroos had an assist in a confidence-boosting 2-0 victory over France in Lyon, only seven seconds into his return.
So much for Lothar Matthaus and Uli Hoeness’ comments after the last Euros that a player who made FIFA’s World Cup dream squad in Germany’s 2014 victory was no longer up to the task.
That’s when Kroos initially called it quits with his country. When he does it for the final time this summer, he may easily be crowned King of Europe.
If all goes as planned at Wembley, he’ll need to make room in his huge trophy collection for another Champions League medal.
If only United hadn’t fired Moyesie.
Toni Kroos might win his sixth Champions League title.
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