Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has admitted his playing career won’t last ‘much longer’ as he has revealed he has already begun to think about retirement.
The Germany international only turned 30 this week but, while his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is still going strong at 35, Kroos insists he won’t go on indefinitely.
“I’m 30 years old and it’s a good age to think – what more do I want?” he told Sportschau Club, as translated by Marca. “[My career] won’t last much longer.
“I’m sure that I won’t play until I’m 38.”
Kroos’ current Real Madrid contract is due to expire in the summer of 2023, when he will be 33 years of age. While his comments suggest he is unlikely to sign an extension, he also insisted that he is ‘very happy’ at the Bernabeu.
“I’ve been here for more than five years and we’re very happy here,” he added. “Our children go to school here and they’re also very happy.
“In the end, they will make the decision [on my future].”
Regardless of when he chooses to retire now, Kroos will do so as one of the game’s most decorated players in modern history, having won the Bundesliga (x3), DFB-Pokal (x2), La Liga, Champions League (x4), Club World Cup (x4) and World Cup in his career.
Kroos claimed that success is an addiction, adding: “The feeling of winning a trophy is addictive. It’s why I’m still playing. The best example was the Champions League.
“It wasn’t normal to win it three times in a row.
“It was at this moment when we realised the hunger that we had inside our team. This hunger is coming back this season, without knowing where it will take us.”
Kroos has a chance to add to feed his addiction and add to his already impressive trophy cabinet this summer, with Real Madrid leading La Liga and still in the running for both the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
