Hoeneß and Matthäus shoot sharply against Kroos comeback
Toni Kroos as a savior? Will the Real Madrid professional play for Germany again at the European Championships? There has been speculation about this for days. However, two former national team players think it's a bad idea - and then Uli Hoeneß intervenes in the debate with harsh words.
Ex-national team players Lothar Matthäus and Markus Babbel are rather critical of a possible return of Toni Kroos to the national soccer team. "If Kroos could play full-back - okay. But the German team has the least need in midfield. You're opening a can of worms that you don't need," Matthäus wrote in his column for the pay-TV channel Sky.
There are already İlkay Gündoğan, Jamal Musiala and Thomas Müller in attacking midfield, explained the 1990 world champion: "Kroos isn't a clearer in front of the defense either, but if Nagelsmann suddenly sees Kroos as the holding six, there will be a lot of discussions again."
Babbel sees it exactly the same way. Kroos is "a gifted footballer, but is he also the savior? I have my doubts about that," said the 1996 European champion on the "ran Bundesliga Webshow": "He's not a vacuum cleaner that stomps everyone away. Above all, you need a six-man who isn't too bad to take those dirty routes and fight those duels."
Hoeneß also against Kroos' return
The 33-year-old Kroos would need people around him who are stronger defensively for a comeback in the DFB team. "If you can't find a partner for him, you won't get the defensive problems under control. If I were Toni Kroos, I would do without shame and stay at home in Madrid," said Babbel: "But if you find the right mix, Toni can do great things."
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich's honorary president Uli Hoeneß has once again taken a confrontational stance towards Kroos and has spoken out against a comeback for the Rio world champion in the national team. "That would be quite a Titanic signal," said the 71-year-old on Monday on "Sport und Talk im Hangar 7" on ServusTV, as reported by the "Kronen Zeitung". The Real Madrid midfielder is "an outstanding footballer, but I don't think he can save German soccer", Hoeneß continued.
Hoeneß had already spoken out against Kroos in the DFB team with pithy words in the past. "Toni Kroos has lost nothing in this soccer. (...) His style of play is totally over," he said on Sport1's "Doppelpass" program in 2021 after the European Championship exit and the subsequent retirement of the long-time top performer from the DFB. Kroos won the Champions League with FC Bayern in 2013. After turning down a contract extension in Munich, the midfielder moved to Real Madrid in 2014, where he has been a key player ever since. With Real, he won the top flight four more times, something no German footballer has ever achieved.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann recently described a Kroos return as an "interesting thought" in the ZDF sports studio and added: "You have to think about all players who have a German passport, I think that's my job." However, Nagelsmann revealed that he had not yet spoken to the 2014 world champion about the matter. The Real Madrid midfielder ended his career in the DFB team after 106 international matches after the 2021 European Championship. According to the Bild newspaper, Kroos can actually imagine a comeback at next year's home European Championships.
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Toni Kroos' potential return to the German national soccer team has been met with criticism from former players Lothar Matthäus and Markus Babbel. Matthäus stated that Germany already has sufficient midfielders, while Babbel mentioned defensive concerns and the need for a partner who can handle dirty routes and duels. Uli Hoeneß, Bayern Munich's honorary president, also voiced his opposition to Kroos' comeback, describing it as a "Titanic signal."
Source: www.ntv.de
