BERLIN, Dec. 19 (dpa/EP) –
Former German international Lothar Matthäus and Uli Hoeness, honorary president of Bayern Munich, do not welcome a possible return of Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos to the German soccer team ahead of Euro 2024.
According to German media reports, Kroos, world champion in 2014, is considering returning to the team now led by Julian Nagelsmann, who left after Euro 2021. Nagelsmann himself described the idea as “interesting” in a recent interview with the public broadcaster ZDF. . “You have to think about all the players who have a German passport, I think that's my job,” he added.
However, Lothar Matthäus, who is the German player with the highest number of caps for the national team (150), was not convinced that Kroos' return could help the team in the continental tournament, which is held in Germany between June and July.
“If Kroos could play as a winger, fine, but midfield is where the German team has the least needs. It's like opening a can that isn't even needed. Kroos is not a defensive midfielder either, but if suddenly Nagelsmann sees in Kroos this type of player, then it will open a debate again,” he argued on the Sky channel.
For his part, German football legend Uli Hoeness also expressed his opposition to the former Bayern player returning to the national team. “It would be a catastrophic sign. He is an exceptional footballer, but I don't think he can save German football,” declared the honorary president of the Munich club to the ServusTV network.