Could there be a more fitting way for Toni Kroos to end his international career than a successful Euro tournament in front of home fans.
His days of playing for Germany were supposedly over after he announced his retirement after Euro 2020, but the SOS call earlier this year from coach Julian Nagelsmann has changed all that and it’s no coincidence that his return to the side has led to improvement in results for the team.
It was a disastrous 2023 for the national side and there were fears that they might be on course for embarrassment in a home tournament. Now with Kroos giving the team direction and a calming influence, there’s plenty of optimism going into their opening game on 14 June.
Kroos wasn’t always viewed as a saviour for the team as he is now. In his first Euro tournament in 2012, he was the subject of much criticism after being picked by Joachim Low to man-mark Andrea Pirlo in the semifinal against Italy. It was an ill-conceived idea as Pirlo dominated and the Germans exited the tournament.
It all changed for Kroos at the 2014 Fifa World Cup though where he was undeniably a national hero when Germany won their fourth World Cup title. That tournament in Brazil was an example of the midfielder at his best where his precise passes worked perfectly with the team’s high press tactics.
His subsequent transfer from Bayern Munich to Real Madrid resulted in a big stylistic change from the gegenpressing Bundesliga to more possession-based tactics in LaLiga. While it certainly helped Kroos take his passing game to even greater heights, it wasn’t always in synch with what was developing as a definite national footballing style in Germany.
Kroos’s national team fortunes continued to fluctuate. He gave Germany their most memorable moment in the 2018 World Cup with a stunning winner against Sweden, but it was all in vain as the defending champions suffered an embarrassing group stage exit.
The next Euro tournament didn’t get much better for Germany as a team or Kroos as an individual. After a round of 16 exit to England, it became a widespread opinion that what the midfielder had to offer no longer suited the football the national team was playing.
A few days after Germany’s exit, Kroos decided to retire from the national team.
He’s certainly made the most of the extra focus on his club career and has just completed one of his best ever seasons with another league crown and a remarkable sixth Uefa Champions League title.
The one major trophy that has eluded him is the European Championship.
Success in this year’s tournament would be hugely significant for Germany. It would make them the most successful team in the tournament’s history as they are currently tied with Spain on three titles. It would be quite a poetic moment if Kroos could be influential in putting his home country ahead of the country of his employers.
Aside from the opportunity of playing on a big international stage, Kroos has clearly been revitalised by his senior role in a younger team. This wouldn’t just be a chance of being part of a winning team. It would be a chance of rebuilding Germany’s tournament reputation after a disappointing Euro 2020 and back-to-back World Cup group stage exits.
Whatever Germany’s chances are of winning this tournament, they certainly improve with Toni Kroos in control of their midfield.