At 28-years-old, German midfielder Toni Kroos may be nearing the back end of his prolific football career. However, the Real Madrid man continues to prove that he is far from finished as he is still in prime form nearly 10 years after making his senior debut with Bayern Munich.
Reading this headline, you may call me crazy. You may say, ‘how can a 28-year-old still not be in his prime?’
Let me tell you why.
Holding midfielder Toni Kroos had a fantastic career with Bayern Munich’s first-team making 173 appearances in the Bundesliga between 2007 and 2014. In that time, Toni scored 23 goals and provided 43 assists.
Since arriving in the Spanish capital just after winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Kroos has scored 11 goals and added 39 assists. This coming in 50 fewer matches in league play with Real Madrid than with Bayern.
While the club has struggled during the 2017/2018 campaign, Kroos has thrived, scoring the most goals in his Real career with five. His fifth came against Celta Vigo over the weekend in Los Blancos’ emphatic 6-0 win over the mid-table side.
The leadership role the German has taken upon himself in the midfield alongside Luka Modric and Casemiro has only improved his game. He doesn’t get caught out of position ever and his pass accuracy is again over 90 percent.
The jaw-dropping stat when closely looking at Toni Kroos is that he has never had a pass accuracy under 92 percent since joining Real. So, I will say again what I stated in the headline.
Toni Kroos is such a smart player, he is only going to get better the more experience and time he plays. His ability to dictate the play and switch the field on long passes is uncanny. He is so accurate with the ball at his feet, it is stunning he is not talked about more.
His business-like style and calm attitude lead many to overlook the number 8 in white. If you are a Real Madrid fan, however, you know that this man has the ability to flip a match on its head with one pass, one call out, or one move.
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He has so much natural talent that he is still learning how to use it all for the benefit of his team. And that right there is why I believe this man has yet to hit his full potential. Could he be peaking at 30 or 31?
At this rate, absolutely.
Toni has stayed low-key in the eye’s of the media which is just what he wants. Like a ninja, the midfield maestro will continue to carve up defenders and get the finishers on this team the ball.