Toni Kroos
German former football player
Toni Kroos: from the Bundesliga to Madrid
Bayern and a formative loan
Kroos entered Bayern Munich’s first team as a teenager after joining from Hansa Rostock. An 18-month loan to Bayer Leverkusen from January 2009 gave him regular Bundesliga football; he returned to Bayern with a more established role in midfield.
A European and world champion
He was part of Bayern’s 2013 Champions League-winning side and Germany’s team that won the 2014 World Cup. Later in 2014 he moved to Real Madrid, where his controlled passing became central to a midfield shared with Luka Modrić and Casemiro.
A decade in Madrid
Across ten seasons with Real Madrid, Kroos played in five European Cup finals and won all five. After returning to Germany’s national team for Euro 2024, he ended his playing career following the tournament. His career connected major club successes in Germany and Spain.