Why Toni Kroos Is Retiring After The Euros |

Welcome to The Athletic FC's KZbin channel, where best-in-class journalism meets video.
Toni Kroos will play the last game of his football career in this summer's Euros, having announced his retirement from football in May 2024.
So, why is the Real Madrid star retiring?
Let's find out 🤝
#footballshorts #soccer #laliga
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Additional footage sourced from AP Newsroom

[@TheAthleticFC]

To our English followers: Tow-nee Kr-awz ✅🥲

[@FullMetalFishFarmer]

Also he pronounces the word manager managAH so that must be correct too?

[@tubsy4519]

@@FullMetalFishFarmer people's names are different to nouns.

[@rddvls]

​@@FullMetalFishFarmer Manajor, CRAWZ, you just make it up and say you are correct! Because who cares about factual accuracy?

[@mattmcguinness6704]

Give it a rest, it’s pronounced however you pronounced it when you played fifa

[@celtic69]

it shows how far we’ve come with sports science that people are genuinely shocked when a player decides to retire at 34. 15-20 years ago you were lucky to make it past 32.

[@shishidoseijuro7770]

Its not particularly because 34 is deemed too young to retire, its mainly because of kroos still being successful and his still at his peak, which is what shocks people

[@celtic69]

@@shishidoseijuro7770 but the fact he’s still able to perform at this level well into his 30’s is because of sports science and how players now take care of their bodies

[@shishidoseijuro7770]

@@celtic69 thats fair but this has been around for quite a while, world class players like van der sar retired at 40 and this was almost 15 years ago

[@celtic69]

@@shishidoseijuro7770 he’s a goalkeeper mate, that’s the one position in football where players have always played longer. I remember questions being asked of Fergie signing RVP because he was deemed too old for the money, he was only 29.

[@user-mr9nm1yj8l]

Agreed. Honestly, it has been much more repetitive for those to retire at an older age. Decade-long careers has been somewhat forgotten about by the majority of the fanbase. From ten, came a much more astounding fifteen years. It is truly surprising to see sport science unfurling and impacting the sport positively.

[@hanibal_lecta9572]

Retire at the top. It makes perfect sense

[@Creees]

Really? But wouldnt it feel weird to know you can still give more but you choose to just sit at home?

[@aranyabanerjee4520]

It's what Zidane did as well.

[@hanibal_lecta9572]

@@Creees it's the entertainment business mate. No one wants to see a fan favourite deteriorating. Then the fans call him out etc. He's going out as a legend, fair play to him

[@hanibal_lecta9572]

@@aranyabanerjee4520 yeah 💯... What a player he was

[@bachotebidz]

I really don't like that reason tobe honest For me those kind of people just want to be remembered as the best if it was me I would just love to play football doesn't matter if im bad or not maybe even try outbsome leagues

[@thomasadam1458]

Thank you for not saying: Toni Cruise

[@Never_GamePlayZ]

my dad always calls him Tony Cruise

[@Karlthemaster]

@@Never_GamePlayZ ok?

[@HunterDavidson6]

Why tf​@@Never_GamePlayZ

[@muhammadmahbeerhussain6225]

Germans pronounce it like "toni khoos" and the O's are pronounced like the "ou" in the word "course"

[@HunterDavidson6]

@@muhammadmahbeerhussain6225 no. We don't pronounce it like that

[@alex0O0O]

He's like the main man behind Real Madrid's Champion's league campaign this season And is also a really important part of Germany's team If Modric won in 2018 then Kroos deserves too

[@Ronaldo-cj4zl]

kroos feels overrated tho

[@udaykumar7380]

​@@Ronaldo-cj4zl Shut up

[@maruti8636]

​@@Ronaldo-cj4zlyeah but Ronaldo is more overrated

[@Ronaldo-cj4zl]

@@maruti8636 im not being a troll commentor, its a genuine opinion, I don't think he does as much as modric, he's good but not worth standing ovation imo. also side note, I think cr7 is overrated too these days

[@-The-G-]

​@@Ronaldo-cj4zlthat's what getting old does to you I want to see messi at 39 Will he be starting for Argentina on merit or for his namesake

[@soggyturbo6431]

It makes sense and a pretty cool reason why Kroos wants to retire at that age, He wants people to not remember his last season as a Benchwarmer, Instead ending on one of his best seasons ever, Winning trophies and amazing assists as always.

[@bomboclaat1509]

lol so hes so egotistical that he cant let the next gen play over him, ever loool. not even allowed to be taken off for them, cause hes sooooo much better. wow so noble of him. if ronaldo done this hed be called all sorts, but kroos is a legend for it.

[@KevinMcGee-qg6hm]

He's an absolute gem of a midfielder and is doing what Paul Scholes did in his mid thirties and could for another 3/4 years

[@soyUsernameWasTaken]

Kroos: "i want to retire while I'm still at the top." Content creators: "HERE'S WHY KROOS RETIRES!!!"

[@The_Sheep__]

Fr

[@internetm8]

Very common for German players to retire at their peak. Also Kroos' proud personality stops him from staying at Madrid just to rotate with a bunch of youngsters

[@swastikneogy8749]

As a German football team fan i can assure you that's a very German thing to do

[@BenjiMakoto]

I can think of Lahm maybe... but tbh, many more names come to my mind who didn't leave during their peak...

[@battistoberhoel8839]

​@@BenjiMakoto like who do you mean? Because I can think of plenty that stopped whilst they were still good or at least capable

[@battistoberhoel8839]

I don't remember which german player said it, I think it was Müller, but the quote goes: "you have to leave football, before football leaves you"

[@davigomes1525]

Who's here after both Germany's and Portugal's elimination 😭😭😭

[@Metanauris]

me😢

[@ernonrebel1191]

Your short pops up as soon spain scores their winner 😮

[@WhyWouldYouCareYT]

Kroos for ballon dor before hes gone.... I mean look at him.He just won another CL...and is the only big big name (except other german players and some spanish) That has been performing at the euros so far as people expected.

[@connor4435]

Really respect the decision. Finish on top and leave a brilliant legacy rather than slowing down and letting people remember you struggle and fail

[@AodhanBeag]

Go out on a high as an absolute legend rather than over stay and trying to cling on desperately to career and reputation What’s so difficult to understand about that

[@einsachtsteven1]

Thanks for pronouncing kroos name correct ❤

[@scenczyk1429]

Kroos vs Kante coming up

[@Liverpoolfan-69420]

It’s also because he wants to retire in the spotlight unlike his partners in crime Luka Modrić who just signed am extension at Real Madrid with a reduced role even though he played under 2300 minutes with totals to 23 games in total which means he can get as little as only 15 games of a possible 65

[@myboy3946]

"Leave football before the football leaves you" -Jamie Carragher

[@zeeq3677]

Quick answer, he wants to. Its his life after all

[@officialiab]

And didnt he say that he retired to give the younger players a chance?

[@FreddieLCFC]

Toni Kroos is done full time and Spain have won

[@en4m3y]

He’s won 6 champs and a WC he’s achieved sooooo much.

[@newbie4789]

He is too smart. "If I am not the best me you had, then I'm not staying", is just a chad mentality. And he will be a good manager too

[@youtalktoomuch2418]

One thing i learn from watching ronaldo's career is to never overstays your welcome expecting something more, i have seen first hand how greed and jealousy destroyed ronalo's reputation and legacy. Retiring at the top of the world and leaving people wanting more is a good thing, like zidane 2006, cause if you keep playing you will eventually get exposed and hated

[@SIeeezy]

So he's basically pulling the "leave the football before the football leaves you" Move

[@ghostblood8272]

Santa Kroos and Tony Clause

[@petercheng2461]

I think what most people are suprised about is not him not playing anymore, but about the amount of money he will miss out on not playing. If he goes to Saudi after the Euros, he could get a MASSIVE hundred million dollar contract

[@AH10118]

There's more to life than just playing football. Football is just a game.

[@loutermartinez819]

Exactly, he wants to spend more time with his family. Being able to ride horses with his daughter, which he can't do atm because he can't risk injury.

[@The28studio]

We did not need this explanation, Toni said it, He simply wanted to end his career at the top. That s it.

[@ferdinandmaldonado3582]

A Living God!! Gracias Tony Pork Todo!! Y Hala Madrid!!!!

[@Seen_Indeed]

The khabib of Football❤

[@elijahknox4421]

It reminds me of Zidane's retirement. He feared was exiting his peak so he announced that he would retire after the world Cup to end on a high, and he nearly did, nearly

[@decode3667]

Kroos is retiring because he wants to end it at the highest level. Rotation, in the past few season he & Modric accepted more rotation, he just doesn't want to stay if he feels he won't give the team his best every game like Zidane.

[@danielsomething7734]

Kroos has more champions than barcelona, it's no suprise he will be retiring

[@lethintuli8980]

Even though lot's of you might disagree with me I think CR7 should have done the same at Madrid

[@Vortex-ge5xd]

That and the fact that he wants to spend time with his family and kids while he is still healthy. It doesn't make any sense to play until you get injured at 39. It's not worth the money, especially if you are as wealthy as he is.

[@sapartileujanuly7959]

Pls cover more Laliga teams and overall other leagues apart from Pl

[@dvw.]

If kroos win Euro, he will be completed football more than that no. 7.

[@NiceguyracingFc]

Toni Kroos is the kind of guy who says "One more game" Wins then he goes to sleep

[@AtGaspachio]

35 nobody would be surprised, 36 nothing to talk about

[@wonderbread7327]

He saw what happened to casemiro and varane

[@LCFCGRANT1]

Leave the football before the football leaves you

[@tonilando]

Wigan would do with him, if he wants a challenge

[@JamailvanWestering]

It’s called stopping on a high mark, unlike Messi and Ronaldo who dragged out there careers for so long it’s almost like they’re wasting away

[@user-vl7ox2ny1h]

Lea love the football before the football leaves you

[@gameadvitiya2539]

Kroos: I want to retire at the top Ronaldo: me see ball me kick ball

[@brorherman1703]

Well you know wrexham tried "signing" Bale when he was retired... i dunno maybe kroos will go to wrexham😅 if he feels he after some time feels that he still wants to play🤔. Just a proposition!

[@user-jc3rv2sp3l]

Leave the Football before Football leaves you .

[@ismailahmed162]

He is leaving the football before the football leaves him.

[@pinf5111]

I think Florentino payed him to retire so that Reus retiring wasn’t as important

[@adampark4238]

We video on Motherwell and the takeover would be good

[@kwongliang6511]

He’s tired of washing his one and only shoes 😅

[@therealJohnSmith]

Also, hes won everything (apart from the euros)

[@sapnamalviya5500]

Right now not after the euros he got knocked out

[@ajmalsafi13]

He chose to die as a hero 🫡🫡🫡

[@be_weiss9169]

But then why not go 2 years to a club like girona or Leverkusen

[@Automaticdeer]

Why can you not correctly pronounce the name of such a well known player

[@elr492]

It seems nonsensical to me. Kroos peaked a couple of years ago. He's still fantastc, obviously. And he can play for a couple of more years at a great level. So why not? If he wants to retire at the elite level, he can play another year perfectly. He is not retiring at his peak anyway. I'd get if he were showing signs of diminishing and did not want to retire a has been, but it's not really the case. I think he's just tired. I get that. He's won literally everything already, except the Ballon D Or (which seems very unlikely... unless he wins the Euros)

[@TheMap1997]

Basically, thr opposite of Cristiano 😂

[@k1llsk]

yes, Ronaldo will only retire when his body starts failing him

[@reymisterio2233]

Everyone knows this No video required Maybe make a video of how paint dries

[@brysonfrank6476]

Why did Lhm retire early?

[@k1llsk]

FFS, i hate the football script writers, this is already the worst decade of football

[@dominiquedourneau7425]

He won all…why pushing…retire at the top…what people forget..he probably started at 7/8years old..i stop at 50 indoor..why had to get up and go to work on monday..sofor an athlete beating up your body for so long there is a time..not every one train like Ronaldo…😊

[@talhaabubakar3290]

As if we don't already know 😒

[@Leongry86]

Spain won rip for ton

[@EMETRL]

sure, if by "running games" you mean "calmly passing the ball backwards a hundred times" Like, yeah, you need a guy who you can rely on to do that if you want to play possession football, but he is still just one person in a team full of players who are also very much vital to success. The modern game does not have players who completely control games on their own anymore.

[@rannynihilius8481]

Kroos had about double the average of progressive passes than a Bellingham, Valverde and Camavingha at RM and if you ever watch a recent Germany game you'd see how his return impacted everything that is going on there. Almost every goal that fell at the EUROS was initiated by a clever pass from him + he was also the most threatening player in terms of shooting corners all season. I'd say the Golden Ball is his if Germany wins the tournament.

[@adrianostberg2337]

He has pretty much nothing left to win

[@chrisstockton8894]

Because he can?

[@Hemanthdev10]

Best to retire when you're at the top of your game

[@moketekeketsi8189]

😂then he must go to Manchester united there he's guaranteed playing time or bayern munich

[@bamfyfe]

Only 34 xD Tell me your clueless about football with one sentence.

[@evart5374]

well for most players it’s even lower but when you take good care of you body id say 34-36 is the limit before you severely downgrade the game now a days is damn physical it kill some type of players

[@bamfyfe]

@@evart5374 Idk how old you are but go to ur local pitch and watch the 16 year olds destroy you.

[@Neuerfella]

😢

[@ABolt-wc2gb]

"Hes only 34" thats yer reason 😂😂😂

[@rddvls]

Crawz! Tony Crawdad? It's KR-OSE NOT KRORZ OR CRAWZ HAHAHAHA Nice try

[@Malachy736]

A better question, why is Toni kroos so overrated

[@jaywalker6464]

Load of bs

[@amsterfy1767]

Washed and old

[@fcliverpool6167]

Fear of immigrants maybe?

[@Snonon01]

Toni Kraws?

[@thomasadam1458]

That's the right pronunciation

[@NilayRaut7]

First