His last game at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu was all about Toni Kroos. For a long time, he survived the celebrations with aplomb – until a very specific moment
As Toni Kroos’ celebrations came to a temporary end, Real Madrid’s departing strategist faced a microphone. It was a microphone from Real’s own club broadcaster Realmadrid TV, and yet the outspoken 34-year-old, usually a man of clear words, found it unusually difficult.
“It’s not easy to say anything now,” admitted Kroos after his last appearance at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. He had already arrived there on Saturday evening “with a different feeling”, which is normal somewhere, “when you know it’s the last game”. And that in one of the biggest and most famous stadiums in the world, where Kroos has “felt at home in these ten years here.”
Kroos took almost 90 minutes
For the ultimately irrelevant 0-0 draw against Betis, the man with the number 8 shirt had resolved “that I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. And that’s what I did in those 85 minutes. Like I’ve always done. “
This was probably one of the reasons why coach Carlo Ancelotti left the timing open for a royal club legend, Kroos used his playing time almost to the maximum. When the inevitable finally happened a few minutes before the end, a dignified farewell ceremony took its course.
Kroos’ teammates rushed over, hugged and embraced him, and gave him a few words of appreciation on his very slow way off the pitch. Meanwhile, the fans sang his praises. Kroos waved to them, made gestures of thanks and remained “pretty strong”, as he later said on the microphone. In other words, there was a lot of gratitude in his eyes, but no tears. That was about to change
Because Kroos’ children Leon, Amelie and Fin, who were a little less “strong”, were waiting outside on the sidelines alongside his wife Jessica. When dad Toni embraced them, the floodgates opened for him too. “They killed me,” admitted Kroos with a laugh, who had already emphasized several times that he wanted to end his career so that he could spend more time with his family.
When the final whistle blew and most of the fans had still not left the Bernabeu, Kroos, accompanied by his three offspring, stood in front of the stands and celebrated one last time in his living room. “It’s been ten unforgettable years, I couldn’t have asked for more,” enthused the playmaker, who will make his last appearance for Real Madrid in the Champions League final against Dortmund on 1 June: “I’ll notice that especially in the next few years when I no longer have this. “
