Toni Kroos retirement means Real Madrid will not sell fringe 27-year-old

Real Madrid will have a completely new-look squad next season and while fans are excited to see the likes of Endrick and Kylian Mbappe arrive with their imminent explosion, it will be sad to see a Los Blancos team without Toni Kroos being the heartbeat. Being at the club for ten years, Kroos played his final game in the Champions League final, lifting the trophy against Borussia Dortmund.

It was a fitting farewell for the club legend Kroos but his retirement will inevitably cause ripples in the Real Madrid squad. Every player will miss him, surely, but there will also be a handful of players who could be secretly licking their lips at the thought of their own increased game-time.

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Toni Kroos retirement means Real Madrid will not sell fringe 27-year-old

One of those players is Dani Ceballos, who needed some reshuffling in the midfield in order to salvage his own career. Admittedly, Ceballos' time at Real Madrid as things stand looks down and out. After all, the Spaniard made just eight starts for Real Madrid across all competitions in 2023/24.

However, the midfielder could be granted a new lease of life. According to a report from Mundo Deportivo, there is no immediate plan from Real Madrid to sell Dani Ceballos in the upcoming summer transfer window. Instead, Los Blancos actually have every intention to keep Ceballos for the upcoming 2024/25 season, as per the report.

Real Madrid will have a hectic 2024/25 campaign, as they are expected to travel deep into every knockout competition, as well as competing to the very end in La Liga too. If last season was anything to go by, then Ancelotti will expect the same standard in the upcoming campaign. Therefore, to have bodies in the squad is of utmost importance.

For Dani Ceballos, this is undeniably his final opportunity to prove himself. A player who has been good at times throughout his career needs to hit a level of consistency unlike anything he's hit in the past. It goes without saying that he needs to go the entire season injury free, with the exception of the odd knock, as in the past it has been injuries which have set him back.

So, the Toni Kroos retirement has presented a golden opportunity for Dani Ceballos to prove himself. Running out of contract in 2027, he will need to make the most of his game-time.

Do you think Dani Ceballos still has a future at Real Madrid?