Toni Kroos concluded a successful decade with Real Madrid and his partnership with Luka Modric in the most impressive way: lifting the Champions League trophy.
The Final Dance of Kroos and Modric
On August 12, 2014, 30,854 fans at Cardiff City Stadium (Wales) witnessed a historic event without realizing it: Luka Modric and Toni Kroos played their first match together for Real Madrid.
It was the first of 335 matches they would play together, almost a decade dominating the midfield for the most successful club in Champions League history.
Their glorious era, most recently marked by the triumph under the Wembley arch, is tied to the embrace between the two after Carlo Ancelotti made a substitution in the Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund 2-0.
“Pass, Luka, pass!” Kroos demanded during his first game with Modric, the 2014 UEFA Super Cup where Real Madrid beat Sevilla 2-0 thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s double.
Just weeks after becoming a world champion at the Maracanã, Kroos demonstrated an authority not every player commands in their debut for a new club.
Xabi Alonso, enticed by Pep Guardiola after winning “La Decima” in Lisbon, had just left Real Madrid. Kroos immediately had to take command.
The German midfielder was tasked with receiving most of the passes from central defenders Pepe and Sergio Ramos after intercepting the ball. He executed perfect coordination with Modric.
Kroos and Modric decided to enjoy the hours before the final against Dortmund as if it were not their last.
After the tactical training session on Friday (May 31), they practiced shooting with Kepa in goal. Just a few meters away, coach Ancelotti watched the scene with the pride of a father witnessing his children succeed in life.
Their reign, in terms of quantity, includes a total of 46 different titles. Together, they achieved 213 wins, 61 draws, and 61 losses.
In the Champions League, Kroos and Modric lifted 5 titles in 10 seasons together, which accounts for half of UEFA’s events during that period.
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This milestone puts them on par with other legendary duos like Alfredo Di Stefano and Gento, who won the first 5 European Cups with Madrid, and Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini, who led Milan’s defense and also lifted the “Orejona” (the Spanish nickname for the Champions League trophy) 5 times.
They stood together in 82 Champions League matches, achieving 53 wins, 14 draws, and 15 losses, with 173 goals scored and 83 conceded.
A perfect farewell that few players achieve. “We offered Kroos to continue, but he intends to retire at the peak of his career,” said president Florentino Perez.
The most successful president in Real Madrid’s history explained, “You know how the Germans are. Toni has accomplished what he wanted and leaves as a legend.”
Now, after enjoying the joy from the “Decimoquinta” achievement, Real Madrid must learn to live without Kroos, while Modric will spend more time on the bench.
Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, after their learning period at the Bernabeu, must step up so that Real Madrid’s lineup does not fall into a void due to Kroos’s absence.