Kroos's rematch

Toni Kroos closed last 2018-19 academic year with a deep wound. The German, who had arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2014 in exchange for 25 million (in a cunning move by the white team, which took him at a good price a year before his contract with Bayern expired), was one of those indicated in the awful year that the white team signed. The numbers supported that version: only one goal and six assists, his worst statistics in Spain, although the general tone of the Madrid team did not help practically any of its members shine.

The goal was not a facet in which Kroos was especially fine, especially at the beginning of his career as a Real Madrid player: between his first two seasons he added three goals. His thing was to attend, with that glove on his right leg to throw corners and side fouls; Thus, in 2014-15 he gave 14 goal passes and in the following course, 13. In 2016-17 he accompanied Madrid's Champions League double with stupendous numbers: four goals and 16 assists. And in 2017-18 he gave away fewer goals (10), but made more (5). A path that the German has deepened in 2019-20: at the moment he has six goals (his record) and nine assists.

It deserves to be taken into account that the fall in Madrid's goalscoring production has also damaged his figures as an assistant: in 2016-17, heThe whites scored a total of 173 goals; in 2019-20, with a maximum of three games to go until the end of the course (it will depend on whether there is a comeback in Manchester or not), are 101. A drop of 72 goals at the moment that has damaged Kroos data as a final passer; The Teuton has compensated him with six goals that may be more, depending on what the Champions have in store for Madrid.

Where Kroos statistics have not been damaged has been in total passes: LaLiga 2019-20 has closed as the best passer of the championship (from among the players who gave at least 300 passes), with 93.5% of good passes, 2,184 well-delivered deliveries of 2,336 in total. After German the culé troop appears: Lenglet (92.3%), Umtiti (92.1%), De Jong, Piqué and Sergi Roberto (91.8%) … The next Madrid player on the list is Ramos, with 91%.

Renovated and key piece of Zidane

Despite the fact that his 2018-19 season offered serious doubts (as in most cases in the white locker room), Real Madrid was always clear that the future of the Madrid midfield passed through the German, among others. Thus, Kroos renewed his relationship with the club in May 2019, extending it until June 2023. He will be 33 years old when the contract expires and, if he fulfills it in full, he will have played in Madrid for nine seasons, in which the Whites (so far) have accumulated titles continuously: three Champions, two Leagues, three European Super Cups, four Club World Cups …

As Zidane sits on the white bench, Kroos knows he will have the coach's confidence. The season has been peculiar for the white media, since Modric did not start as the absolute starter, but it did end that way, while Valverde earned the position at first and was released after confinement. The two pieces of the core with which Zidane never had doubts were Casemiro (his most used player, almost 4,000 minutes) and Kroos (the 7th, with almost 3,500%).