‘He is a Legend’: Real Madrid Voices on Toni Kroos before his Final Club Game

Toni Kroos is thrown in the air by Real Madrid teammates last Saturday to mark his final game at the Bernabéu. Photograph: Manu Reino/DeFodi Images/Shutterstock
Toni Kroos is thrown in the air by Real Madrid teammates last Saturday to mark his final game at the Bernabéu. Photograph: Manu Reino/DeFodi Images/Shutterstock
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‘He is a Legend’: Real Madrid Voices on Toni Kroos before his Final Club Game

Toni Kroos is thrown in the air by Real Madrid teammates last Saturday to mark his final game at the Bernabéu. Photograph: Manu Reino/DeFodi Images/Shutterstock
Toni Kroos is thrown in the air by Real Madrid teammates last Saturday to mark his final game at the Bernabéu. Photograph: Manu Reino/DeFodi Images/Shutterstock

Carlo Ancelotti: His decision to go is the decision of a great, a decision of character. We are saying farewell to a footballing great who we have been lucky to have here. He is a great midfielder with huge quality and fantastic character, with little ego, who always played for the team; very altruistic. We have been lucky to have him for 10 years. Toni could close his career with a Champions League and at an individual level he deserves it. But his career doesn’t need another Champions League. He has been a fantastic player for 10 years, he had made history with Real Madrid and in world football.

 

Eduardo Camavinga: Toni doesn’t say much but when he does, he kills you. I like that about him.

 

Vinícius Júnior: If you said I could win this final, win the Copa América and Toni would win the Ballon d’Or, I would sign up for that right now. It’s his last year, we won’t see him play again and it’s a pity. We understand his decision and he understands that we’re all sad about it. We are all saying we have to play [this final] for Toni because it’s his last game. He’s an even better person than the player he is. He has been important not just for the club but, above all, for the young players who have turned up here. All of us had seen Toni on the telly and to get to see him every day was special. Toni makes it easier for everyone. He controls the game, always. When there’s pressure, you know if you give the ball to him he’s not going to lose it. He deserves the farewell he got, all the people who were there for him at the Bernabéu, and now we have to do this for him.

 

Jude Bellingham: It’s not about replacing Kroos directly, it is about looking at what he gives us and finding ways that as a team we can plug that hole. His is a role that’s unique. Toni Kroos is a one-of-a-kind player. He can do things no one else in world football can do.

 

Dani Carvajal: I would give him a 10 out of 10. No player would ever speak badly of Toni. Everyone has seen his level and it’s been so consistent too. In the dressing room, he is a fantastic person, he has a fantastic family and he deserves all the good things that happen to him.

 

Joselu: He has treated me like a brother. He embraced me when I came, welcomed me, he has been very good with me this year. The little German I speak, I have been lucky enough that has helped me communicate with him. As a player, I hardly need to say anything: everyone has seen him. He should have won two or three Ballons d’Or. In his position there is no player like him.

 

Fede Valverde: I was surprised. I expected Toni to be around for many more years. But him retiring when he did speaks to the great player he is. There are few players who choose to retire in moments of glory.Anything I say about Toni will always fall short. Playing with him was a dream come true. Off the pitch he is even better. As a person he is incredible. I would love to wear the No 8. I have spoken to him about it. Numbers don’t mean much to me, what matters is that it comes from him, that he wore it, and that he said he wants me to wear it. That’s unique for me, very emotional. I appreciate that he did it privately, that he spoke to me alone. That shows what a great person he is.

 

Luka Modric: I would give the Ballon d’Or to a Madrid player. The favourites are Vinícius, Bellingham and Kroos. Because of our relationship, how close we are and how long we have been together, I would like it to be Toni. When a player goes, it’s always a pity. Especially a player like Toni. I have been with him at Madrid for 10 years and he’s one of the players I have most enjoyed playing with in my career. It’s sad but it’s his decision and, talking to him, he’s very calm, at peace with his decision. It’s a pity people aren’t going to enjoy his football any more because, for sure, he could have given more. But you have to respect his decision.

 

Antonio Rüdiger: I met him in the national team but we hadn’t been that close. Quite honestly, I had a different perception of him, but when I arrived here I came to know the real Toni Kroos. A great guy who loves his family, who I respect a lot. I see him and I see an example to follow, because the way he treats his family I haven’t seen in any other footballer. I don’t need to talk about Kroos the footballer because in Germany he is without doubt the best we have had and he is a legend at Real Madrid.

 

The Guardian Sport



Neuville Fights Back in Japan to Close on 1st World Title

FIA World Rally Championship - Rally Sweden - Stage 7 of Second Round - Torsby, Sweden - February 15, 2020. Thierry Neuville of Belgium (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) speaks to the media. TT News Agency/Micke Fransson/via REUTERS/File Photo
FIA World Rally Championship - Rally Sweden - Stage 7 of Second Round - Torsby, Sweden - February 15, 2020. Thierry Neuville of Belgium (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) speaks to the media. TT News Agency/Micke Fransson/via REUTERS/File Photo
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Neuville Fights Back in Japan to Close on 1st World Title

FIA World Rally Championship - Rally Sweden - Stage 7 of Second Round - Torsby, Sweden - February 15, 2020. Thierry Neuville of Belgium (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) speaks to the media. TT News Agency/Micke Fransson/via REUTERS/File Photo
FIA World Rally Championship - Rally Sweden - Stage 7 of Second Round - Torsby, Sweden - February 15, 2020. Thierry Neuville of Belgium (Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC) speaks to the media. TT News Agency/Micke Fransson/via REUTERS/File Photo

Hyundai's Thierry Neuville fought back into the points at the season-ending Rally Japan on Saturday to stand on the cusp of his first world championship.

The Belgian, who needs six points to clinch the title, started the day 15th after a turbo pressure problem but moved up to seventh place to secure four of the required tally provided he finishes on Sunday.

Team mate and closest championship rival Ott Tanak will lead the rally into Sunday's final leg, 38 seconds clear of Toyota's Elfyn Evans, as leaders Hyundai also closed in on the manufacturers' title, Reuters reported.

Toyota's Sebastien Ogier was in third place.

"We’re satisfied that we’ve been able to catch seventh, which didn’t seem very realistic this morning," said Neuville.

"Of course, it could have been a much better weekend result, but I have faced many setbacks in my career and I have learnt to stay calm and deal with the situation.

"I think we managed that very well today, considering we had everything to lose while others had a lot to gain. It could be a big day tomorrow, but there is still a fight and we have to win some more points."

Tanak, the 2019 world champion, won the 13th and 16th stages while Neuville won stages 11 and 14 in the Aichi mountains near Nagoya.

Stage 12 was cancelled for security reasons after a van entered the course and blocked the road while Evans was waiting to start and after six cars had posted times. Police attended the scene and escorted the vehicle away.

"We've had this situation before here, which is challenging," the www.autosport.com, opens new tab website quoted FIA road sport director Andrew Wheatley as saying, calling the breach "very serious".

"Clearly, what's been done in the past has not been good enough and we need to find solutions to go forward. There is no excuse for this."