Real Madrid teammate Joselu said this week that he “wanted to send Kroos into retirement” but the 34-year-old midfielder had his eyes set on the European Championship final in Berlin on July 14.
Retired German veteran Toni Kroos said he is confident Friday’s Euro 2024 quarterfinal match against Spain will not be the last match of his career.
Kroos announced last May that he would retire after the European Championship on home soil, meaning this week’s match in Stuttgart could be his last.
Real Madrid teammate Joselu said this week that he “wanted to send Kroos into retirement” but the 34-year-old midfielder had his eyes set on the European Championship final in Berlin on July 14.
“We will remain in the tournament for a while,” Kroos told reporters at the German team’s camp in the Bavarian village of Herzogenaurach today, Wednesday.
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“I don’t think tomorrow will be my last game. I think we will see each other again and I’m looking forward to that,” he said.
The 2014 World Cup winner resigned from the national team in 2021 but agreed to return in March.
Kroos said: “The idea of returning was linked to the goal of winning the European Championship.
“If I hadn’t had the opportunity to earn a place with the team, I wouldn’t have done it.”
Kroos said he was “not afraid” of life after football, adding: “This day will come for every player.”
“Thank God I was able to make the decision myself, rather than someone pushing me or making me feel like it would be better to do it earlier.”
He added: “I realise that no matter what happens, or whatever hobbies I try, nothing will ever be as good as playing football.”
The six-time Champions League winner made his debut for Bayern Munich in 2007, the same year 16-year-old Spanish winger Lamine Yamal was born.
