Friday, July 2nd, 2021
Emotional farewell mail
World champion Kroos resigns from the DFB team
Three days after the round of 16 at the European Football Championship, there is the next shock for the German national team. Playmaker Toni Kroos ends his DFB career. He announced his retirement after 106 international matches.
That’s it: After 106 international matches for Germany, Toni Kroos is calling it a day. The next big era at the DFB will end within three days, because the knockout round at the European Football Championship against England was the last game for national coach Joachim Löw after 15 years as boss. Together they celebrated their greatest success at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when they won the title. In general, their ways were inseparable. For Löw, Kroos was always one of the most important men on the field, his extended arm.
The 31-year-old explains his farewell with emotional words on Instagram: “I have played 106 times for Germany. There won’t be another time. I would have dearly wished, and I gave everything again, that there were 109 international matches in the end and that this one big title, the European Championship, would have been added at the end. ” He wrote that he didn’t just make the decision to quit after this tournament. “It had been clear to me for a long time that I would not be available for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.” In the future, he would like to concentrate more on his job at the Spanish top club Real Madrid and have more time for the family. He will now take the breaks that he did not have as a national player. “It was a great honor for me to be able to wear this jersey for such a long time. I did it with pride and passion.”
Kroos would like to thank his fans and supporters, but also his critics “for the extra motivation.” The playmaker also had particularly warm words for Löw: “He made me a national player and world champion. He trusted me. We have written a success story for a long time.”
The withdrawal from the national team comes as no surprise, rather the timing is so close to the EM knockout. Kroos has been the subject of public discussion for years. Is his inviolability in the national team justified or not? His critics accuse him of delaying the game too often, which has earned him the name “Querpass-Toni”. Meanwhile, his supporters, including Löw at the forefront, praise his strategic skills, his security on the ball and in the passing game.
One reason for his withdrawal is likely that the hierarchy in the team will be reorganized with the change of coach from Löw to Hansi Flick. In the midfield center, where Kroos is at home, Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka apply for leading roles. Both already have this at FC Bayern. Flick had used the duo extremely successfully in Munich. Another competitor is still İlkay Gündoğan. But the star of Manchester City should also deal with thoughts of withdrawing from the DFB team. In fact, he has rarely managed to use his outstanding skills profitably for the national team. His regular position should also wobble under Flick.
.