Germany great Toni Kroos retires from football

Mid-field maestro Toni Kroos bids farewell to football after a heartbreaking defeat against Spain in the Euro 2024 quarterfinal.

He concluded his illustrious career in Stuttgart after 832 matches, 35 titles, and countless extraordinary passes.

Regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in football history, Kroos leaves behind an indelible legacy.

His last moment on the pitch came in 119^th minute of the game when he took charge of the freekick which was cleared by Spain.

Kroos bowed his head and knew he would finish a highly-decorated career without a European Championship win.

“At the end of the season this chapter comes to an end,” the 34-year-old wrote on his Instagram page in May in reference to his decade at Real.

“This decision means that my career as an active footballer will end this summer after the Euro championship.”

He had success with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Germany.

The cool-headed midfielder played 114 games for Germany and his highlight of the career was 2014 World Cup.

Apart from that Kroos won a host of titles, mostly with Real Madrid, but also with Bayern Munich – six Champions Leagues, four Spanish leagues, three Bundesligas, three German Cups and one Copa del Rey. With Germany, his biggest success was the World Cup title in 2014.

He had wanted to sign off with the European title at home this summer, but his former Madrid teammates got in the way.