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Real Madrid – La Liga Exclusive interview with MARCA
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Toni Kroos has called Real Madrid to improve their game if they are to fight for the trophies this season. Los Blancos suffered their third loss of the season to Valencia on Sunday, raising further questions about Zinedine Zidaneteam selections.
Before Germany’s match with Spain in the Nations League, MARCA spoke with Kroos from Leipzig to discuss Real Madrid, Zidane, squad rotation, international football and, of course, the European Super League.
What has Real Madrid given you to make you feel so identified with Real Madrid?
When I arrived, the whole club, not just my teammates and the coach, and the fans gave me a feeling of happiness for being with them. That’s not normal. In Germany, you first have to play well before they are happy with you, but at Real Madrid I had the feeling that they were already happy with me there, whether I played well or not. That made me feel good and gave me confidence to play well from the start.
Was Carlo Ancelotti’s call the deciding factor?
In 2014, they won the Champions League, so you can imagine. Ancelotti calls me and tells me that he wants me at his club to improve his team. Imagine, these were the Champions League winners. He had all his confidence and that was the key to start so well and not have pressure. I thought they already had confidence in me and that helped me to do well from the first match. This was my first season. No trophies, but it was very good.
Well, what about the Club World Cup?
Is that considered a [major] trophy? All right… [laughs].
German players have always been successful at Real Madrid, so the fans are wondering why they don’t sign more German players.
That is not a question for me. Players of my was like [Sami] Khedira spoke highly of Real Madrid to me. I also spoke, a long time ago, with Gunter Netzer, the former Real Madrid player, and he told me that it was a good place, not only to play but also to live. I only heard good things from Madrid and Real Madrid. Why aren’t there more Germans? [here]? That’s not for me to say [laughs].
Since you arrived you seem very well settled in Madrid. What has the city given you?
If true. The city is very important, but it’s more about who I live with, who you are with all day, at home and at work, which can help you feel at home. If you have that, you have fun. It doesn’t matter where, but this is Madrid, of course … The weather [makes a difference] too; it is very different from Germany. I don’t live downtown [of the city]. Many people. You have family and, of course, you need to go out with them and they all recognize you. I like to be recognized [by fans] because he is very positive and very fond of Real Madrid, but sometimes you want to go out in private …
Do you feel respected by the fans?
A lot. Always. They ask for your autographs and photos. It’s good because they love you. Sometimes you want to leave in peace and that is a little more difficult. That is why we do not live in the center. I like peace because it is in my nature. We are very happy in Madrid.
Now we speak Spanish better and everything is easier. My wife, during the first years, did not speak it and everything was more difficult. Without speaking the language, with hardly any contacts … you leave your country at 24 and it is a very big change, but we did it well. It helps if your work goes well and you end up taking it home.
And here you are Antonio …
Yes Yes. I will not forget my real name, but I can live with Antonio.
Why does this Real Madrid lack consistency?
Well, in the end, we are missing something. That is not a secret. Everyone can see it. We don’t have much left … we have to be constant. If you look at the results, there are two good, one bad, two good and one bad. We have to do better. You watch some games and you realize that you can do much better: against Barcelona, the first half against Inter and another.
We can, of course, improve, but we lack coherence. If we did well against Barcelona, we also have to do it against Cádiz or Shakhtar [Donetsk] at home. There is a big difference. Sometimes it is very good and sometimes it is very bad. We have to improve if we want to win something.
What is missing to the team?
We are going through a very strange situation for everyone. We play every three days, we had little free time, we finished last season very late, we couldn’t sign players in the summer … Now there are injuries, some have to stop because of COVID, but I don’t ‘I don’t like to find excuses. We put a starting lineup that can beat the opponent in every game.
I do not have doubts. Why don’t we do it? We have to find solutions to improve. It is not a general thing; they are specific things or situations in each game and that is why we have to react. The truth is that, as a team, if we want to win things we have to improve. And we’ve already seen how good we can be.
Is there any reason for fans to have any hope that their luck can change?
If you look at how well we can play, of course. Sometimes you can lose, not play well, that can happen, but the opposite happens more than we would like and we cannot allow it.
As a player, do you understand squad rotation? Do you like it when you are not playing?
In the end, you can never be content not to play a game. And I can say that and all the players think that. In the end, I understand the coach because we play every three games. We do not stop and more this season. It won’t be for two or three months like after the pandemic.
It will be until the end of the European Championship. I understand that the boss has to rotate sometimes. As a player, you have to accept it and when it is your turn to play, you do your best. When you are physically and mentally well, you always want to play, but you have to accept the rotations or the rest.
Do you understand why Zidane is being questioned?
[Everyone] He knows that if results are not obtained and expectations are not met at Real Madrid, there are doubts. That is why we are in this club. It is normal. With Zidane we have already had moments like this and we usually come out of bad spells.A few weeks ago, after losing to Cádiz and Shakhtar, we went to Barcelona and played an incredible game. We got through it and the boss is the first person to know what happens in this club if you don’t get results. In the end, what we have to do is improve and try to win games. The boss will find the solution.
You are with Germany right now. Do you think Bayern Munich is ahead of the rest of the teams in Europe and that Real Madrid is going to have problems in Europe this season?
What we can say is that, without a doubt, Bayern have been the best team in the world in recent months. I do not have doubts. Real Madrid was like this for a few years and we know it is difficult. It is impossible to win for 10 years in a row. Real Madrid were the best team in the world for two or three years.
Now it’s Bayern and that doesn’t speak badly of us. If you see how he has played in recent months … there is no game in which they have not won by four goals. They won the Champions League and, for me, whoever wins that is the best team in the world because it is the most difficult competition to win. They’re better than us, but that’s not a problem right now because we don’t play in their league and we don’t play against them in the Champions League, at least for the moment.
Do they have more rhythm?
They have a good rhythm and high press. We have to accept that there are better teams than us at the moment.
Spain and Germany face next week. Who do you think is the best team right now?
I think the two teams are more or less the same. The last two games we have faced have ended in a 1-1 draw. Both teams have changed a bit in recent months. We made changes after the 2018 World Cup, at least much more than others. That being said, both teams have some issues right now.
Will Spain and Germany return to the top?
They are two projects with a lot of quality and they will go well, for sure. I don’t know if it will be next year, in the European Championship, but I am convinced in the long term. There is a lot of talent. Germany, I’m sure of that, and Spain, when I see some of the players they have in LaLiga, I don’t doubt it either.
The two countries are going to be at the top and I am not saying it because it is my country and where I live. I say this because I like teams that want to play football well. It’s not just those who sit deep and play against it who win. When I don’t play, I follow teams that try to play football and that’s why I think these two have a very good future.
Toni Kroos cares a lot about his surroundings, that’s why he has a foundation, doesn’t he?
For the past five years, I have had a foundation in Germany for sick children. I have the opportunity to help the dreams that they have that they cannot achieve or that they have no way of achieving. Parents also have difficult times and I speak as a parent. Life is hard and if you don’t have money, it’s even harder.
If I can help change things in their lives or fulfill the dreams of the children that their parents want them to achieve, but cannot, I will. You experience emotions that you have trouble explaining. When you tell them that they will have help, you realize that it is more important than football. I’m not going to stop, ever. I will stop playing soccer, but I will not stop helping.
Can you clarify your thoughts on the European Super League?
What I wanted to say is that there are positive things about it, no doubt. We are going to see many high-level matches that we only see in the Champions League semi-finals. And we all like those games. It will be very interesting for the fans of a team and for those who do not support it properly. Everyone likes to watch football at the highest level. We also have to take care of the smaller clubs. Everyone is very competitive. The Super League is something else. I worry more about other things.
What other things?
That they are creating more competitions. We have two or three weeks in which there are no matches and I am sure that FIFA and UEFA will find a new competition. That worries me about the health of all the players. Playing every three days means that you are playing tired and that the games are not at the level we want. It’s like playing another Club World Cup with 20 teams. I do not think that it’s necessary. There is nothing more to squeeze us. Players are not going to like it.
To finish … will you retire at Real Madrid?
I’ll try. I am still physically fine. Two years ago, I had a difficult season. Now I’m a little better and we’ll stay a little longer [laughs].
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