Champions League winners Toni Kroos and Antonio Rüdiger joined German team training on Wednesday in the countdown to Euro 2024 where they aim to boost the team with their Real Madrid winning mentality.
"What we can take with us from Madrid is the killer instinct," centre back Rüdiger told reporters.
Real won a record-extending 15th title in the elite event on Saturday, 2-0 over Borussia Dortmund, ruthlessly deciding matters late in the game like so often before, and after earlier being outplayed by Dortmund who paid for not scoring.
The full squad, which also includes the Dortmund pair of Nico Schlotterbeck and Niclas Füllkrug, is now training at the Herzogenaurach base camp but full back Maximilian Mittelstädt was missing on Wednesday to have his workload eased a little bit.
The team was visited by German basketball national team coach Gordon Herbert who shared his knowledge with the footballers how to win big events, a year after Germany won a maiden basketball World Cup title.
"The basketball guys have had great success. And of course we can learn a thing or two from them," Rüdiger said.
Rüdiger's coach Julian Nagelsmann has a similar approach as Herbert now, with a clearly defined role for each player, a core group of starters and hungry reserves.
"Julian said that I should be a leader in my role," Rüdiger said.
Rüdiger and midfielder Kroos, who will end his career after the Euros, are set to be starters in the final tune-up game on Friday against Greece, having not been present yet in Monday's 0-0 against Ukraine.
Germany open the Euros on June 14 against Scotland, with Hungary and Switzerland the other group stage opponents.
