Toni Kroos He gave an interview to the German newspaper Kicker in which he talks about his sporting career and praised the Real Madrid dressing room and Casemiro and Modric, his teammates in the Whites’ midfield.
His first memory of the Champions
“It was the 1999 final in Barcelona. Bayern Munich against Manchester United. I was nine years old at the time. My father is a huge Bayern fan and I remember how all of a sudden the remote control went flying across the room when Manchester won the final. at the last minute. I’ve never seen my father like this before.”
your childhood idol
“My father took me to a Champions League match in Bremen in 2004, with Werder playing Inter Milan. I was 14 years old and I saw my idol, Johan Micoud, live for the first time”
Cristiano, the best in history
“There are so many players in every generation who have achieved great things, Clarence Seedorf comes to mind, who won the Champions League with three different clubs. There is no doubt that Cristiano is one of the best in history. The same goes for him. with Leo Messi. But I don’t see this one better. Because it’s difficult to compare who does what on the pitch and how the game has changed over the decades.”
His contact with Cristiano after leaving Real Madrid
“We don’t have much contact, if we do it’s more by chance. We met twice on vacation, but that wasn’t planned. He’s still my neighbor here in Madrid, he kept his house. Sometimes I see his family. And I can imagine that he won’t stay in Manchester after his career and that maybe we’ll see each other here more often then.”
The three Champions in a row with Real Madrid
“Zinedine Zidane was very good at managing the group and keeping all the players happy. There was an extraordinarily high quality in the team and there was always a team on the pitch. Not eleven friends, but eleven players who gave everything to achieve success and they were always ready to play as a team. In addition, in some matches there was also the luck you need. You cannot play 13 perfect matches in a competition of such quality and density. You have to learn to survive in difficult situations and then luck will come to you. you”
Casemiro, Modric and Kroos
“The first and most important thing is quality. We know exactly our characteristics and we bring them in such a way that they work together. Three Toni Kroos would not be as effective. We complement each other on the pitch because we want to play together and succeed together. And we have a great team around us defending behind and executing forward”
Zidane y Ancelotti
“Both are very good at dealing with players. They treat us as equals, which professionals like very much. And they have a clear idea of how to play football. During my career I had different coaches and consequently impressions of their work. Of course, in terms of tactics, Pep Guardiola was very impressive. But the same goes for the others.”
How do you motivate yourself after so many games?
“You can only be successful if you want to. If you no longer feel this will, then you must stop. I always want that feeling of winning every game. In every competition. That is the basic idea at Real Madrid. Less is not possible and will not be accepted. If at any time the fun stops, I stop immediately. That demands respect for Real Madrid.”
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