Joshua Kimmich praised Toni Kroos as “the best German player we’ve ever had” in a dressing room speech following his retirement from football.
Kroos announced in May that he would hang up his boots after Germany’s Euro 2024 campaign, and his quest to be crowned European champions came to a premature end at the quarter-final stage on Friday.
Spain beat Germany 2-1 in one of the best matches of the tournament, reaching the semi-finals with a dramatic extra-time victory.
BILD has a lengthy report on what happened in the German dressing room after such a devastating defeat, including a speech given by Kimmich to his teammates.
The Bayern Munich star, who has played as a right-back at this tournament, took the time to thank Kroos for his contributions to German football. “I wanted to thank everyone who was there for their efforts,” Kimmich said. “And I wanted to thank Toni. “He has celebrated incredible titles and records. I would have loved to win another title with him. For me he is, without a doubt, the best German player we have ever had. It is also remarkable what kind of person he is. He is a role model for all of us in the dressing room.”
Kroos is hanging up his boots after winning no fewer than 33 trophies during his playing career and making 845 appearances. He notably played a leading role in Germany’s 2014 World Cup triumph, although he spent most of his time at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
The 34-year-old’s final professional game could have ended long before the 126-minute match lasted. In the second minute of the first half, Kroos fouled Pedri so hard that the Spanish midfielder had to be substituted, and is expected to miss the rest of Euro 2024 with a sprained knee. La Roja coach Luis de la Fuente wanted Kroos sent off for the foul.
More information on Euro 2024:
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