The World Cup-winning midfielder has no intention of playing until his last 30s and may not be penning any more deals in Spain or elsewhere. Toni Kroos has hinted that his current contract in Real Madrid will probably be his final, with the World Cup winner revealing that retirement will start to become an option when he reaches the age of 33.
That is how old he will be when reaching the end of his deal at Santiago Bernabeu.
Given the success he’s enjoyed over the course of a distinguished career, Kroos might be considered to still have plenty left in the tank.
His game has always been about technical ability that physical characteristics, with imagination and vision not lost with age.
He is, however, prepared to acknowledge that he has no intention of playing on into his late 30s.
With that in mind, it might be that Kroos walks away from Madrid in the summer of 2023 as he begins to weigh up his options from aggressive action.
He has told Sportschau Club: “I’m certainly not a player who plays until 38.
“I still have a three-and-a-half-year contract until the summer of 2023. Then I will be 33. That’s a great age to start thinking about what I want without having a contract that runs for four years.”
“It won’t be long then until the end of my career.”
Kroos has been on the books at Real since 2014 when he finished a big-money change from Bayern Munich.
There is a determination on his part to accumulate many more awards prior to hanging up his boots, with”the feeling of winning titles type of addictive”.
Kroos is also seeking more glory at the international level, starting with Euro 2020 this summer.
He’s remained part of the Germany fold beneath Joachim Low during a period of change to Die Mannschaft, but can’t see fellow experienced heads like Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels returning to the fold.
“The national coach did not make a determination on a whim or because they’re bad players or because they’re all 38 years old, he did it to set a new direction,” stated Kroos.
“It is more likely to remain that way since the direction in which we’re heading has not been wrong so far.”
