Toni Kroos announced today that he will retire from professional football after the 2024 European Championship. It will be the final point for a successful career that includes trophies such as the 2014 World Cup and five Champions League titles (with the possibility of adding one more on June 1st) and which began on September 26, 2007.
That day, the midfielder made his debut in the top division wearing the Bayern Munich uniform. It was in the 5-0 victory against Energie Cottbus at the Allianz Arena in the Bundesliga, after going through the reserve team and the youth national teams of Germany.
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At 17 years old and with just 18 minutes on the pitch, he already showed his quality by providing two assists to Miroslav Klose. That was a great Bayern Munich team, champions of Germany that season, with figures like Oliver Kahn, Franck Ribéry, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Luca Toni.
Two Brazilians were on the field that day. One of them was Zé Roberto, who had returned to the Bavarian team that season after a previous four-year stint. And it was precisely he who was substituted for the entry and debut of Toni Kroos.
The other was Lúcio, the central defender who had arrived at the team in 2004 and was considered one of the best in his position at the time.
The rest is well-known history. Toni Kroos shone at Bayern Munich, as well as the time he was on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, to from 2014 on bring his magic to Real Madrid. “It was the beginning of a new life at the biggest club in the world. Today, after 10 years, at the end of the season, this life comes to an end,” the midfielder himself said in the statement in which he announced the end of his career.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the first five episodes available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
