Real Madrid are about to go without a trophy for a second straight season, and that is a huge cause for concern around the club. After winning two Champions League and two La Liga titles in three years under Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid signed Kylian Mbappe thinking they would seal their status as the most dominant club in world football, but they have instead gone on a downward descent.
Mbappe is one issue entirely, but as Ancelotti was persistently trying to tell president Florentino Perez, there are serious issues in the squad that have not been resolved. If anything, they have been compounded, and Real Madrid have not at all recovered from the retirement of Toni Kroos after their last title triumph in the 2023/24 season.
Now, Kroos is coming back. Although he won't be the new sporting director at a time when Florentino is thinking about finally bringing one back to work alongside his current right hand man Jose Angel Sanchez, Kroos will have an important job all the same.
Toni Kroos is back
Per a report from Cadena SER, via the Madrid Zone, the German sniper will become Real Madrid's advisor for strategic decisions made by the club. In other words, it sounds like Kroos is being hired to be a key advisory voice on personnel decisions like transfers in and out, loans, and the standing of Castilla players in the squad. He is almost like an apprentice training to become, potentially, the next Real Madrid sporting director.
Although Madridistas always had dreams about Toni Kroos being a manager for Real Madrid, the German international generally made it clear during his career that he was not interested in elite level coaching. But behind the scenes, a role where he can use his ability to see the bigger picture as one of the most cerebral midfielders of all time could be conducive to Real's success.
In a front office role, Kroos is away from the spotlight he genuinely seems to have a distaste for, and he can instead quietly - and with less controversy surrounding - make personnel decisions. Kroos can scout, for example, the next heir to his throne or give an endorsement for the next big German talents. He can help Real Madrid find and secure their next manager, work the lines for a big prospect in Sotuh America, or help shape the overall transfer strategy.
It will be baby steps at first, of course, but having a true Madridista with the intelligence and strength of character as Kroos will be massive for the back room.
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