Toni Kroos

Toni Kroos (born 4 January 1990) is a German former professional footballer. Regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, he was known for his vision, passing, crossing, and set-piece ability. Kroos played mainly as a central midfielder and occasionally played as a defensive midfielder. Kroos is the most decorated German football player, as he won 34 trophies over his 17 year career.

Kroos began his senior club career at Bayern Munich, where he debuted at age 17 in 2007. He was used sparingly for Bayern and he went on loan to fellow Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for 18 months, where he became a key contributor. He returned to his parent club in 2010. With Bayern, Kroos won three Bundesliga titles (including two consecutive titles), a UEFA Champions League, two DFB-Pokal trophies, and was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season three times. In 2014, he joined Real Madrid for a €25 million transfer.

In Madrid, Kroos won twenty-one trophies, including four La Liga titles and five UEFA Champions League trophies, three of which he won consecutively from 2016 to 2018. He was named in the Champions League team of the season each time. He was named in the FIFA FIFPRO World 11 and UEFA Team of the Year three times each, and the La Liga Team of the Season twice. He was named the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker in 2014 and German Footballer of the Year in 2018 and 2024.

Kroos won the Golden Player award at the 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the Golden Ball at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He made his senior team debut for Germany in 2010, at age 20, and appeared in seven major tournaments. With 114 international matches for Germany, Kroos is one of the top ten most capped German players. Kroos helped Germany win the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he was top assister and named in the All-Star Team and Dream Team. At UEFA Euro 2016, he was named in the Team of the Tournament. In 2024, Kroos retired from professional football.