Toni Kroos vows to retire after Euro 2024 (Image: Getty)
Spain striker Joselu wants to retire his former Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos tomorrow. La Roja and Germany will face off in Stuttgart for a place in the Euro 2024 semi-finals. And Kroos has already confirmed that his final games as a professional footballer will come at this summer's tournament.
“It was an honour to have played with Toni,” Joselu said. “He embodies all the values of Real and has been a great teammate. I have received a lot of advice from him.”
That's where the former Stoke City star's politeness ends. He continued: “We hope to retire him on Friday. We don't have to worry about players from other national teams. As much as I like Toni, Friday's game will be his last.”
Kroos, 34, responded to Joselu after being informed of the comments. “I can understand him saying that, but we have a lot to say about it,” the German said. “The Spanish have played well so far, but so have we.”
“We can expect an interesting match. I will allow him to grant his wish and I will do everything I can to prevent it from happening!”
Talk of the fights will add an extra layer of intrigue to what already promises to be a mouth-watering quarter-final. Germany are unbeaten at Euro 2024, while Spain are the only team to boast an unblemished record having won all three of their group games before a 4-1 victory over Georgia in the round of 16.
Much of La Roja's threat comes from wing duo Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. But Kroos is convinced that Yamal, 16, will not be given the same freedom he has had against lesser opponents.
Joselu did not hesitate to talk about his former Real Madrid teammate, Toni Kroos (Image: Getty)
“The consistency with which he plays at his age is impressive,” he said. “But we prepared for him. We were warned that we had to defend against him. We know we have to defend against players like him as a team.
“He hasn't played many quarter-finals at the European Championship. We'll try to keep him as close to reality as possible so he can't play like he has so far at the European Championship.”
Germany have not beaten Spain for almost a decade, having been thrashed 6-0 by La Roja in the UEFA Nations League four years ago. Spain striker Mikel Oyarzabal believes his country is “the best there is” but he does not see a repeat.
He said: “A lot of time has passed (since the 6-0). Drawing conclusions from this game is not fair and would not be good for us. Germany are a great team.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1918607/spain-toni-kroos-euro-2024-joselu