Real Madrid icon Toni Kroos shocked the World when he announced that this season would be last, and his playing days will end soon.
Kroos has played his final games for Real Madrid, and helped Carlo Ancelotti’s side win yet another Champions League with a strong performance in the final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium.
The midfielder will now play for Germany at the European Championships which will be hosted in his home Nation, and will hope to sign off on a legendary career with another trophy under his belt.
However, England will also hope to compete well in the tournament, and Kroos has now admitted that his teammate Jude Bellingham is capable of leading his side to glory.
Toni Kroos praises Jude Bellingham ahead of Euro 2024
Speaking about Real Madrid’s star signing from last summer, Kroos claimed that the 20-year-old’s maturity surprised him when he first arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“I’ve had a year with Jude and had to ask how old he really is. He’s 20 but – and particularly off the field, he feels to be a fair bit more mature than that,’ Kroos stated.
“It speaks for him that there is so much hope resting on him in England. At Real in the first few weeks he was directly decisive for us. And I didn’t feel he had any problems as his importance to the team grew.
“It speaks for him that the hopes are placed on him. I think that he’s a guy who can handle this pressure. This personality at just 20 years of age — it’s no problem for him to withstand the pressure.
“I wish him personally a good tournament — but I hope that it’s over for England at some point,” he joked.
Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham competing for Ballon d’Or at Euro 2024
Given Real Madrid’s outstanding campaign in La Liga and the Champions League, the Ballon d’Or looks almost certain to go to a player from Ancelotti’s squad again.
Vinicius Junior may perhaps be the frontrunner, but the Brazilian, Kroos and Bellingham will all be competing for the award, as Real Madrid’s best three players over the course of the campaign.
Whoever has the better tournament out of England and Germany could be the tiebreaker between Kroos and Bellingham, but if Brazil win the Copa America, then Vinicius will likely beat his teammates to the award.