Toni Kroos is having another sensational season for Real Madrid. On Matchday 23, Kroos added another Man of the Match-caliber display, scoring a trademark passed-into-the-bottom-corner finish against Valencia and controlled the entire match from midfield in the 2-0 win.
So far this season, the Real Madrid center midfielder has two goals and five assists in La Liga with one more assist in the Champions League to boot. Kroos has been precise with his passing and has been creating chances at a high clip, both from set pieces and open play.
But that’s what he’s been doing for the last five years-plus in Spain’s top flight. There’s a stat to prove Kroos creates like no other midfielder in this league.
According to a tweet from OptaJose, the German international has 50 assists in La Liga since the start of the 2014-2015 seasons, which is the most number of assists by any midfielder in the competition. Per OptaJose, 30 of those 50 assists have come from set pieces, and this reinforces the notion that Kroos is one of the world’s best from dead-ball situations.
Real Madrid star Toni Kroos is leading La Liga in a few stats this season
This season, Kroos has more shot-creating actions than anyone else in La Liga from dead-ball situations, per FBRef.com. He is also the league’s overall leader in key passes, according to WhoScored.com, as the 31-year-old is averaging 2.5 key passes per contest.
The current numbers in 2020-2021 combined with his historic assist numbers since the start of the 2014-2015 campaign paint the picture of a consistently dominant midfielder who creates tangible chances for his teammates. Once again, the people calling him a “sideways passer” or try to argue that his chance-creation is overrated must eat their words and face the criticisms born from their own foolishness.
Kroos is an orchestrator. He does not misplace very many passes, yet he creates very many chances for Real Madrid. As we saw this past weekend against Valencia, Kroos is in full control, and you would not put it past him to double his total of five assists in 2020-2021 and add to his impressive career La Liga tally.