Toni Kroos

Toni Kroos (German pronunciation: [ˈtoːni ˈkʁoːs]; born 4 January 1990) is a German footballer who plays for Spanish clubReal Madrid and the German national team as a midfielder.

A member of Bayern Munich's first team at the age of 17, Kroos became a regular after an 18-month loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen, and won honours including three Bundesliga titles and the 2013 Champions League. After winning the World Cup in 2014, he joined Real Madrid on a six-year contract. He has been praised by journalists^[3] and former professionals^[4] as a player with all the qualities for the role of an attacking midfielder.

Kroos made his full international debut in 2010 and was a member of the German squads which reached the semi-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2012. He was also part of the team that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first footballer born in East Germany to win the competition.

In the summer of 2010, on the expiration of his loan at Bayer Leverkusen, Kroos returned to Bayern Munich. When asked about his first team chances with Bayern, runner-up in the previous season's Champions League, Kroos stated: "I want to play as often as possible!"^[12]

On 16 August 2010, he started against TSV Germania Windeck in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, scoring the third goal in a 4–0 victory. On 29 October 2010, he scored his first league goal for the club, in a 4–1 win for the Bavarians against SC Freiburg. During the 2010–11 season, Kroos was a regular starter for Bayern in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League. He ended the season with 37 appearances in all competitions.

During 2011–12, under Jupp Heynckes, his former coach at Leverkusen, Kroos established himself as a first choice player from Bayern, forming a strong midfield partnership withnational team colleague Bastian Schweinsteiger. He played 51 matches in all competitions during the season, including the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, where Bayern were beaten on penalties by Chelsea at the Allianz Arena.

Kroos was an important member of Bayern's treble winning team during the 2012–13 season. As the most advanced member of a midfield containing Schweinsteiger and Javi Martínez, Kroos scored three goals in the team's opening four Bundesliga matches. He also scored his first Champions League goal in Bayern's opening group match againstValencia CF. After sustaining an injury in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Juventus,^[13] Kroos was unavailable for the remainder of the season, missing Bayern's successes in the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final, the 2013 DFB-Pokal Final and the last seven matches of the Bundesliga season.

Kroos returned to fitness for the start of the 2013–14 season and, on 4 October 2013, scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw against former club Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. On 21 December 2013, he started for Bayern in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup Final as the team beat Raja Casablanca 2–0.^[14]

On 19 February 2014, Kroos scored his second goal of the season in a 2–0 Champions League win against Arsenal.^[15] On 25 March, he scored in a 3–1 win over Hertha BSC as Bayern were confirmed as Bundesliga champions.^[16]