Toni Kroos' game by numbers vs. Valencia:❍ 100% duels won (5/5)❍ 100% tackles made (3/3)❍ 128 touches (most)❍ 105 passes attempted (most)❍ 100 passes completed (most)❍ 5 shots (most)❍ 3 shots on target❍ 2 chances created❍ 2 interceptions0 sweat broken. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/3kzqC6zGDb— Squawka (@Squawka) June 18, 2020 Top performance
New podcast alert: Kroos reveals that Adidas are not happy with him because he plays with a shoe that Adidas have retired for years. He had them include it in his contract that they produce a run of Adidas Adipure 11pro shoes exlusively for him. He can't and will not play in anything else. His brother Felix has a regular Adidas contract which dictates that he has to wear the newest model they supply him with. He also stopped drinking alcohol after the Bayern - Chelsea CL final, being completely disappointed, he drank so much at home that he asked his family to call an ambulance. They eventually didn't, but the next day he decided to stop drinking altogether. He said he didn't like the taste of alcohol and only drank stuff that "goes down easy" like Tequila. It's funny because i experienced something similar and i decided the same thing. The home matches are like a school camp. The team meets up, hangs out, has dinner together and then walk over to the field and play. Says it's very relaxed, no bus, no big deal, just everything easy and a short walk.
From the latest podcast: - Kroos spent the lead up to the Getafe match watching the relegation match between Bremen and Heidenheim in the locker room. His brother sarcastically comments "do you always do that, watch other teams play before title deciding matches?" to which Kroos says, there isn't much to do anyway before going out to warm up. - During the contract negotiations, Florentino Perez told him "i've kept the number 8 shirt open just for you" so he basically had no choice but to wear number 8. It's been decided. - Otherwise not much to say other than stories from his make a wish foundation that grants children with terminal illnesses and their families their greatest wish, how they go about it and so on.
Kroos has to be one of biggest bargains in the history of the game....a least in modern times for sure. What a buy.
Something that i forgot to post is, Toni said the Vicente Calderon was the most disgusting stadium to play in, at least as a Real Madrid player. The away team locker rooms, besides being small cramped spaces that you had to duck to get to because the ceiling was so low, had only one kind of water: ice cold. Players were afforded the bare minimum in comfort and were exposed to as much hatred on their way to the field as possible.
New podcast, a lot of Madrid content. Winning the League: - The team practiced as much restraint as the fans did, no alcohol excesses, no parties, just takeout dinner. Since Toni doesn't drink alcohol, he ordered an unhealthy burger instead. He says he even ordered two of them, but couldn't finish the second one. - The team felt completely embarrassed after last season and wanted to do better. Transfer to Madrid: He had already struck a deal with ManUtd, David Moyes had already been in Munich and met the entire Kroos family and everybody felt good about it until they sacked him and hired Van Gaal, where Toni said that the deal is now off. Ancelotti called him and told him he is a centerpiece in what he wants to do with the team going forward. He felt good about the deal, and the club agreed to his terms quickly. He was spending vacation in Spain, in his holiday home in Mallorca which was on the edge of a public beach. His brother and his brothers wife were already staying there and were being harassed by journalists all the time, mostly because people couldn't tell them apart. One day a German gossip journalist lady stuck a microphone in his face and asked Felix if he'll join Real Madrid to which he replied "I feel very comfortable in Bremen, thanks".
So basically Toni arrives to sign the deal and have his presentation. He wears a nice clean shirt, sneakers and jeans, and they arrive with the entire family at the Bernabeu which is bursting with lines of people, Toni initially assumed that he'd sign the deal and watch a pre season match that they didn't tell him about. When he arrived they told him he'd have to dress up for the occasion and had a tailored suit prepared for him. He wore it, met with Florentino for the signature and official meeting, then they took him to the locker rooms, where they provided him with his kit, and a pair of blue Adidas shoes that he refused to wear. He only wears white boots, so initially he asked to find somebody that had white boots, but they couldn't find any. That was the one and only time he wore anything other than white boots for Real Madrid. As he came out, seeing 25000 people waiting for him to just wink and say hello, that's when he says, he realize that he was at the biggest football club in the world. His brother chimes in that Ronaldo had a sold out stadium, and Toni replies, yes, but I never expected so many people to want to see me! The club asked for the entire family to be there are provided a full sized private flight for the family. Toni described it as an incredible amount of luxury in a really huge jet for the amount of people that took the trip to Madrid. Felix had dinner with Florentino and a few execs but unfortunately his Spanish was limited to "I'm Toni Kroos' brother" because people were constantly getting them wrong in Spain. He had to sell his house in Mallorca. The public beach was way too much. People from the press were jumping out the bushes to ask for statements and pictures even after he had signed for Madrid, so after staying in Madrid for a few days, he went to pack, and before they left, they had a lookalike leave the house wearing the same clothes and hat, and after all the paparazzi followed the lookalike the family escaped to a more quiet, private corner in Mallorca. He says his day of presentation at Real Madrid was one of the greatest memories of his life. Coming right after winning the world cup, it was an incredible way to wrap up the summer. He says he is fully committed to the club, and his goal is to retire as a Real Madrid player. He has a contract until he is 33,and he feels that I would be a great moment to retire. Whether he'll retire at 33, or possibly add another year to it at 34, or even leave the game at 32 for whatever reason, the only thought is about retiring as a Real Madrid player off his current contract.
His role as a veteran in the club: Valverde gave an interview calling Toni Kroos an idol, which he felt was an incredible honour for him, compared it to imagining about playing with Micoud(a player many people might not know about, but he really left a big big impression while he was at Bremen) back when he was younger. He spoke a lot with Valverde that he should not be afraid, just let go and play the way you feel like it. Be brave, take risks and when you feel like you want to try something, do it. You're good enough to be here, so just be yourself. The team apparently has a week off, then everybody comes together to prepare for the match vs ManCity at the end of the week.
i remember Micoud, don't remember him being that great but i remember him, the new ZZ at one point, He obviously left an impression on Toni
I think it's part of Kroos' weekly(?) podcast, which is not in English, so it kinda goes under the radar.
He has the right mentality and you can see his genuine love for the club. Kroos deserves to retire here and I hope he can (same for Modric). I don't really want to see them playing in MLS or some other smaller league as caricatures. I would like to remind everyone, I was the genius who said we should have sold him after his rough 18 months.
He said that he doesn't see himself playing in MSL or anything similar and that he's most likely to retire in Madrid at the end of his contract.
He has a podcast Wednesday every two weeks, called "einfach mal Luppen" with his brother Felix Kroos. I'm posting relevant stuff on here since the podcast is entirely in German.
He said that after we blew it against Betis this season the team was absolutely angry at themselves after the match. Nobody was saying a word for the entire time.
He says it's a mental thing, he doesn't like to look at his feet in anything else but white boots. Also the thing with the shoe that has been out of production for over 7 years and they keep making 5 to 6 pairs a year just for him.