Toni Kroos celebrates his 32nd birthday. Is the slightly overlooked footballer one of the best midfielders in history?

When you watch Toni Kroos play, you think football is actually terribly simple. But it’s not, he’s a German midfielder who towers above the rest with his grace and elegance: Is he one of the best midfielders in history?

Kroos started out at Bayern Munich at the age of 16, and after a brief loan spell at Leverkusen, he settled into the Munich giant’s starting line-up for good. He won three Bundesliga titles with Bayern, dominated the Champions League once with them and also won the Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

In 2014, he reached the most valuable trophy with Germany. In fact, he was a key player in the Brazil run in which the Germans won the World Cup title. During Brazil’s historic semi-final debacle (7: 1), Kroos shone with two goals.

After the championship, he left Munich and headed to Real Madrid for just 25 million euros. Kroos’ contract at the Alianz Arena was coming to an end and he could leave for free a year later. Kroos’ agent Volker Struth later called the transfer a “theft of the century” in a conversation with Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez.

And indeed it is. Kroos was immediately integrated into the starting line-up of the White Ballet, although he first had to get used to a more defensive role. However, Zinedine Zidane implemented the defensive bulldog Casemiro into the line-up after arriving on the Real Madrid bench, untying the hands of both Kroos and Modric.

Later on, this move proved to be absolutely crucial. Real Madrid absolutely conquered Europe with this lineup, winning the Champions League three times in a row in 2016-2018, something no other team has managed to do. The CKM trio (Casemiro, Kroos, Modric) thus ranks alongside Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets as the two best midfield trios in football history.

Kroos’ main strength is his incredible ball work. In 7 years at Madrid, his passing percentage has never dropped below 90%, which is a staggering figure. He has also had the most chances created in La Liga in recent years, he is extremely important for the team. He almost never loses the ball, although his feet are not the fastest, his brain works like a fast computer, pressing the opponent is no problem, he is always one step ahead.

“We play the way Toni wants. When Toni wants to play fast, we speed up. When Toni wants to slow down, we slow down. We just play in the style of Kroos,” Casemiro described in the Kr8s film the importance of his teammate to Real Madrid.

But Kroos is not as appreciated by the public as he deserves. Modern football looks at numbers and stats, how many goals and assists a player has scored, but Kroos’ strength lies elsewhere. Thanks to him, Real Madrid are in control of the game in almost every game, something that those who follow football in more depth will notice.

For example, one of the best football strategists in the world, Pep Guardiola, has said of Kroos that he is the bravest player he has ever seen. When he managed him at Bayern, he built his game on him and when his departure was imminent, he tried to prevent it at all costs and pleaded with the management to do everything possible to keep Kroos. He subsequently tried to lure the German speedster to Manchester City, where he would build a game on him, unsuccessfully.

Johan Cruyff once said Kroos should win the Ballon d’Or. Paul Scholes, for his part, said that towards the end of his career he watched Kroos and tried to play like him. Several other football icons have paid tribute to Kroos.

He has 4 Champions League titles, 5 Club World Cup titles, 3 UEFA Super Cups, 3 Bundesliga titles, 2 La Liga titles, 2 Spanish Super Cups, 1 German Super Cup, a World Cup gold and bronze and two European Championship bronzes.

At the age of 32, the question logically arises: Is Toni Kroos one of the best midfielders in football history?

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