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As he turns 31 today, let's have a look at Toni Kroos' career so far [A THREAD]
![As he turns 31 today, let's have a look at Toni Kroos' career so far [A THREAD]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eq5qtEAXIAY5ZIp.jpg "As he turns 31 today, let's have a look at Toni Kroos' career so far [A THREAD]")
Kroos is one of the greatest midfielders of all time, he is one of the best passers and set piece takers we have ever seen, one of the most press resistant players in the world. He uses his perfect positioning to make the play faster by only moving the ball instead of himself.
He controls the tempo of the game, and when you watch him you can see he makes it faster and faster as the games goes by, he can play as an 8 and as a deep lying playmaker, also as a 10 during his young years.
His consistent performances is what he will be remembered for, setting the standards high for himself and regularly reaching it for more than a decade is a very important attribute of "O Garçom" (the waiter), a nickname he earned by the Brazilians because of his perfect passing.
The Jahrhunderttalent (Talent of the century) shined from the very beginning, he was top scorer in the European U17 championship, won the Golden ball in the 2007 World Cup U17, and became the youngest Bayern player ever at 17 years and 265 days old, a record now held by Alaba.
He joined Leverkusen on a two year loan in 2008, and he showed his talent especially during the second season, scoring 9 and assisting 12 in 33 league games, also winning back to back POTMs.
He returned to Bayern in 2010, and he guaranteed himself a starting spot the following season under Jupp Heynckes, his former Leverkusen coach, he was world class but unfortunately lost to Chelsea on penalties in the 2012 CL final.
Next season, although he got injured in the CL quarter final vs Juventus, he was vital during the time he played, especially in the round of 16 when he dropped a masterclass at the Emirates, helping Bayern qualify to the quarter finals on away goals and go on to win the treble.
His 2013/14 season is mostly remembered for his masterclass against Arsenal, he fell out with the club and decided he wanted to leave.
His 2014 summer was when Toni cemented himself as one of the greats, as he became a World Cup winner, heavily contributing to the trophy, he finished the tournament with the highest Castrol Performance Index (official statistical analyser of thr World Cup) with 9.79/10.
He got the joint most assists (4) and 2 goals, only Lahm (562) completed more passes than him (537), and got into the team of the tournament.
His game against Brazil will always be remembered, scoring a brace in 69 seconds, assisting Muller, as the scoreline became legendary.
His game against Brazil will always be remembered, scoring a brace in 69 seconds, assisting Muller, as the scoreline became legendary.
He then joined Real Madrid during that summer for only €30M, the "robbery of the century" according to his agent, his unveiling was attended by 8000 fans.
During his debut season, he won his first trophy for Los Blancos in the 2014 Supercup against Sevilla, he also made the UEFA Team of the Year.
2016 was when the german became a cheat code, after Benitez was replaced by Zidane, Kroos won his second champions league title at the San Siro, becoming the only German to win a CL with 2 different clubs.
2016/17 is arguably his best season ever, the most used Real Madrid player, the most assists (12) in the league for Los Merengues and key passes pg (2.8), averaging 8.1 accurate long balls. His walkout against Juventus in the CL final in 2017 remains iconic.
In 2018 he held the record of most Champions League titles won by a german and the most Club World Cups won by any player ever.
After a poor 2019 season for his standards, the german regained his form, being one of Real Madrid's key players during the 2020 La Liga title win.
And Toni Kroos is not done yet as he's still only 31, I imagine him retired at 35/36, so I hope he can give us 3 or 4 more world class seasons.
Xavi claimed him as his heir. Ballon d'or shouts from Cruyff. A genius according to Klopp. Scholes tried to replicate his playstyle. A galactico according to Perez himself.
He is also the idol of many current midfielders with potential, Valverde, Szoboszlai, Harvertz and Goretzka all look up to him, although Kai and Leon idolize Ozil and Schweinshteiger respectively as well.
Team trophies:~ World Cup (1)
~ Champions League (4)
~ FIFA CWC (5)
~ UEFA Super Cup (3)
~ La Liga (2)
~ Bundesliga (3)
~ DFB Pokal (2)
~ Supercopa de España (2)
~ DFL-Supercup (2)
Individual awards:~ UEFA Champions League TOTY (3)
~ FIFA FIFPRO World XI (3)
~ IFFHS World's Best Playmaker (1)
~ Bundesliga TOTS (3)
~ German Player of the Year (2)
~ FIFA Wrld Cup XI (1)
~ UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament (1)
~ UEFA La Liga TOTS (2)
...
Toni Kroos career stats:
587 career appearances
65 goals
137 assists
587 career appearances 65 goals 137 assists
End of thread.
