Toni Kroos announces Germany COMEBACK ahead of home Euro 2024 campaign, with 34-year-old returning three years after retiring from international duty
- Toni Kroos announced on Instagram that he is returning to international football
- The 34-year-old Kroos retired in Germany in 2021 after the 2020 European Championship
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German midfielder Toni Kroos has confirmed on social media that he will retire ahead of the European Championship this summer.
The 34-year-old last played for the national team in their 2-0 defeat to England in the last 16 at Euro 2020.
The Real Madrid star announced his retirement following the Wembley loss, but it appears he has now changed his mind after revealing his return via Instagram.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann had previously stated he was open to Kroos returning to the international set-up, and it appears the prospect of a Euro 2024 campaign of his own caught his attention.
In an Instagram post, Kroos said: “Guys, quick and painless: from March I will be playing for Germany again.”
Toni Kroos will return to Germany after announcing his retirement
Kroos’ last cap for Germany came in their 2-0 defeat to England at Euro 2020 in the last 16
Kroos continued: ‘Why? Because the national coach asked me, because I want it and because I am sure that more is possible with the team at the European Championship than most people think at the moment.’
The midfielder put on the German jersey a total of 106 times before announcing his retirement.
He played a starring role in the 2014 World Cup-winning side, scoring twice in their historic 7-1 semi-final win over Brazil.
In December, Nagelsmann, who became Germany coach in September 2023, showed his admiration for the national team legend.
‘Toni is a great person who speaks his mind clearly, and a very successful footballer. You can talk to him about anything,” he said.
Nagelsmann added that they had “not talked concretely” about Kroos’ return to the herd, but it appears that everything that was talked about worked.
The 34-year-old remains a key player at Real Madrid, making 33 appearances this season
Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann previously said he wanted Kroos to return
Euro 2024 will host matches in 10 German cities. It starts on June 14 and ends on July 14 with the final in Berlin.
While Germany will hope this is a final they will be part of, their recent history in international competition is not a good one. They were eliminated in the group stage at both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.
Kroos’ first games back in the squad will be during the March international break, where he will play against France and the Netherlands in March.
