“July 17, 2014, was the day I debuted for Real Madrid and the day that changed my life, both as a football player and as a person,” Kroos wrote on social networks on May 21. “It is the beginning of a new chapter at the biggest club in the world. After 10 years, at the end of this season, this chapter will end. I will never forget that successful time.”

The German midfielder sent his thanks to all Real members who welcomed and trusted him, as well as the affection and love of the fans from the first day to the last day at the club. Kroos emphasized that closing the chapter of success with Real means he will retire after attending Euro 2024 at home.

Toni Kroos applauded the audience at the Bernabeu after the Real Madrid-AAlaves match in La Liga on May 14. Photo: Reuters

“As I always say, Real is and will be my last club,” the 34-year-old continued. “I’m happy and proud to have found the right time for this decision, and I can make my own choice. My ambition has always been to end my career at the peak of my form. From now on, I only have One thought: to help Real win the Champions League for the 15th time.

At the same time, Real’s homepage also announced a tribute to Kroos, praising him as a part of history and one of the greatest legends in the club’s history. President Florentino Perez affirmed that Real has and will always be Kroos’s home and sent wishes to the German midfielder and his family for the new phase of his life.

Kroos joined the Bayern youth team in 2006 and was promoted to the first team in 2007. In total, he has scored 25 goals in 205 matches, helping Bayern win three Bundesliga, three German National Cups, one German Super Cup, one Champions League , one European Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. Kroos also played for Leverkusen on loan in the 2009–2010 period, scoring 10 goals in 47 matches.

Kroos was recruited by Real for about 30 million USD in the summer of 2014. In the past 10 years, he scored 28 goals in 463 matches, won four La Liga, one King’s Cup, four Spanish Super Cups, four Champions League, and three Super Cups. European Cup and five FIFA Club World Cups. The 34-year-old midfielder has two remaining matches for Real , meeting Betis in the closing round of La Liga at the Bernabeu on May 25 and Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley on June 1.

After that, Kroos will join the German team to attend Euro 2024 at home, which takes place from June 14 to July 14. He debuted for Germany in 2010 at the age of 20, in a 0-1 loss to Argentina. Through 108 matches for the team, the 34-year-old midfielder scored 17 goals and had 21 assists, culminating in the 2014 World Cup championship.

Midfielder Toni Kroos (second from left) during a training session with the German team at Lyon Stadium on March 21, preparing for the friendly match with host France. Photo: AFP

Julian Nagelsmann and his students gathered in Blankenhain, central Germany, from May 26 to 31, then moved to headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, on June 1. The team will play friendly matches against Ukraine on June 3 and Greece on June 7 before officially participating in Euro 2024 , where they are in Euro Group A with Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland.

On the podcast “Einfach mal Luppen” on May 21, Kroos also explained his decision to retire at the age of 34. “I believe this is the right decision,” he said. “I thought about it for many months, about the positives, the negatives and what I wanted. And I wanted to be remembered as playing at my best. I promised that when I left Madrid, it would be the same. when I will leave football”.