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Toni Kroos’ agent has revealed the details of his departure from Bayern: He was yelled at for not getting the money

Toni Kroos is one of the best midfielders in the world, along with Modric and Casemiro he formed a lethal central trio that dominated the Champions League three times in a row. So how is it possible that Bayern Munich let him walk away for just €25 million?

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Toni Kroos is one of the best midfielders in the world, along with Modric and Casemiro he formed a lethal central trio that dominated the Champions League three times in a row. So how is it possible that Bayern Munich let him walk away for just €25 million?

World champion in 2014, Champions League winner in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018. This is Toni Kroos, arguably the best footballer in the world in terms of passing skills. He started playing for Bayern Munich at the age of 17 and started 11 Bundesliga games in the 2007/08 season.

In the following season, he added just 5 starts in the autumn and so went on loan to Leverkusen. There, he lasted only a season and a half, scored 9 goals and returned to Bayern. There he gradually became a key player, especially after the arrival of Pep Guardiola his role became bigger and bigger.

Kroos fit perfectly into the Spanish magician’s system, which is famous for a tiki-taka style of play based on lots of passing. With his technical ability and game intelligence, he was also one of the reasons why Bayern looked so dominant, just like in the previous era under Jupp Heynckes.

But in 2014, after winning the World Cup, Kroos left for Real Madrid for just €25 million. An absolutely shocking transfer that later proved to be one of the best for the White Ballet in the last decade. Why did it happen then? Kroos’ agent Volker Struth revisited this in an interview with BamS.

“In September 2013, we discussed Toni’s contract with Bayern’s management. Bayern wanted to extend it, Toni was not against it. Bayern offered 6 million euros gross per year. Have they forgotten that I know how much they pay Mario Götze? We asked for 10 million euros. Pep Guardiola fought to keep Toni. He said to him: ‘I need you here’. He said the same thing to Rummenigge (former Bayern manager),” Struth began.

“In November 2013, I went to Munich for another meeting. Rummenigge said to me. ‘Mr Rummenigge, we will not accept anything under €10m.’ Our conversation ended after 28 minutes,” Kroos’ agent says.

When Bayern management could not find an agreement with the player’s agent, they went straight to Kroos. Bayern Munich vice-chairman Uli Hoeneß wanted to talk to the skilful midfielder.

“Then Uli Hoeneß came on the scene. In February 2014, Bayern beat Frankfurt 5-0 in typical Guardiola style. After the game, Hoeneß caught Toni in the corridor on his way to the cabins and started shouting at him you’ll never get 10 million here!” raged Hoeneß. Toni replied. We have the same opinion.” After that, it was clear that Toni would not be playing for Bayern next season,” one of the world’s best agents recalls of the 7-year-old incident.

But Kroos almost ended up in England instead of Spain. “In April 2014, Manchester United sent a contract. David Moyes personally visited Toni. He agreed and was ready to go to United. But then Moyes was sacked and everything collapsed,” says Struth.

So the footballer with the eight on his back was snapped up by Real Madrid in what later turned out to be a brilliant move. And for only 25 million euros. Kroos had just one year left on his contract and if Bayern had not sold him in the summer of 2014, he would have left a year later for free.

And as you can see, the ties at Bayern were severely severed, so an extension was out of the question.

Source: BamS, Mia San Mia

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