The return to the German national football team announced by Real Madrid’s midfielder has provoked numerous reactions.
Toni Kroos will soon be wearing the jersey with the eagle again. The 34-year-old announced on Thursday that he had accepted national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s request for a comeback.
The 106-time international will play for the first time since 2021 in the preparatory games for the home European Championship against France (March 23) and the Netherlands (March 26).
However, former DFB selection player Hansi Müller sees this as “a very explosive and sensitive topic,” as he explained in an interview with “Münchner Merkur/tz”: “It is of course also a bit of an indictment for the current midfielders that a player , who resigned, is now active again.”
There is no doubt about Toni Kroos’ abilities. Müller still thinks the Real star is a “giant footballer, otherwise he wouldn’t play for Real Madrid. He’s still the Toni Kroos we know.”
Nevertheless, there is also a risk for Kroos, as the “expectations of such a player” are high. “If it doesn’t work out for him – for whatever reason – then he’s the big loser.”
Matthäus demands a regular place for Kroos in the DFB selection
Meanwhile, record national player Lothar Matthäus demanded that the returnee immediately receive a regular place in the Nagelsmann team. “We need him as a leader. Toni Kroos has to be in place, has to be the coach’s extended arm – together with Gündogan, Neuer, Goretzka or Müller,” said the 62-year-old on RTL.
According to Matthäus, one motivation may be that Kroos “played badly even in the last tournaments with Germany”. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the DFB selection was eliminated in the group phase as the reigning defending champions, and at the 2021 European Championship it was over in the round of 16 against England.
The 1990 world champion explained: “They weren’t tournaments that suited Toni Kroos, one of the best players we’ve ever had in Germany. I think he might want to finish his national team career with a title.”