Toni Kroos is a German professional footballer, who plays as a midfielder for the German national football team and for the Spanish club ‘Real Madrid.’ As one of the most enigmatic footballers in the world, he has been part of several teams that have won many domestic and international tournaments. He was born and raised in Greifswald, East Germany, and has a younger brother, Felix. The brothers grew up practicing football together. Toni was always a part of his school football team. Toni’s first ever professional football team was ‘Greifswalder FC.’ Subsequently, Toni moved to the youth team of ‘Hansa Rostock.’ Eventually, he moved to ‘Bayern Munich.’ In July 2014, an official announcement declared that Toni would join ‘Real Madrid.’ He has had a striking international career, saddled with the 2014 ‘World Cup’ victory for his national team and two consecutive ‘Bundesliga’ titles for ‘Bayern Leverkusen.’ He was also included in the 2014 ‘World Cup All-Star Team’ and the ‘World Cup Dream Team.’ Toni was part of the ‘Team of the Tournament,’ announced at the conclusion of the 2016 ‘UEFA European Championship.’
Toni Kroos was born on January 4, 1990, in Greifswald, East Germany, into a family with a long and prestigious history in sports. His father, Roland Kroos, was a professional wrestler, who later became a football coach, and his mother, Birgit Kammer, was a German badminton player, who later became a biology teacher. Growing up with his younger brother, Felix, Toni was exposed to a comfortable life since his early years.
Since both his parents were sports enthusiasts, Toni was influenced by them and was immensely drawn toward sports. Although he was not particularly good at academics, he was a disciplined student in school and was an essential part of the school football team. Despite the fact that he was an ardent football enthusiast, he was never too good at it in his formative years.
His father, Roland, took charge of training both his sons, and under his mentorship, Toni developed some amazing skills that made him one of the most respected footballers in his school team. His parents’ support paved his way to success, and Toni started devoting a lot of time in training himself.
His first stint with serious football was with a local football club, ‘Greifswalder FC.’ He played for them until the age of 17, when he joined the youth wing of ‘Bayern Munich.’ Owing to his rigorous training schedule, he completely ignored his academics. However, his devotion to the sport was rewarded soon, as he was transferred to the ‘Bayern’ senior team.
In September 2007, he made his on-field debut for ‘Bayern Munich’ in a ‘Bundesliga’ game against ‘Energie Cottbus.’ He was 17 years of age then and was the youngest player to have made a place in the senior team of ‘Bayern.’ He was also part of the team that was selected to compete in the ‘UEFA Champions League’ in 2008.
In order to further provide him with more experience on the field, he was allowed to join ‘Bayern Leverkusen’ in January 2009. In the remaining part of the 2008â€"2009 season, he made 13 appearances for ‘Leverkusen’ and ended up scoring one goal.
In the next season, his performance excelled significantly. Playing for ‘Leverkusen,’ he registered four assists and scored five goals in five matches. He earned consecutive ‘Player of the Month’ awards, for December 2009 and January 2010. By the end of the season, he emerged as a highly competitive player, with nine goals and a dozen assists in 33 matches.
In the summer of 2010, he was acquired back by ‘Bayern Munich,’ as soon as his loan period with ‘Bayern Leverkusen’ ended. He had an amazing 2012â€"2013 season, playing for ‘Bayern Munich,’ and scored four goals in his first five matches of ‘Bundesliga.’ He further helped his team win the ‘Bundesliga’ title in 2014.
‘Real Madrid’ officially announced their contract with Toni in July 2014 and also mentioned that he would be part of their team until 2020. The official signing amount was never disclosed, but there were speculations that it was somewhere between 24 to 30 million Euros. At the presentation ceremony, Toni openly admitted that he had been a ‘Real Madrid’ fan all his life.
On August 12, 2014, he made his debut for ‘Real Madrid’ in a match against ‘Seville’ in the ‘UEFA Super Cup,’ and ‘Real Madrid’ ended up winning the tournament. He, along with two other midfielders, played a major role in his team’s 22 consecutive wins toward the end of the year. He also played a crucial role in ‘Real Madrid’ winning the 2014 ‘FIFA Club World Cup.’ By the end of the tournament, Toni was included in the ‘UEFA Team of the Year’ and the ‘FIFpro World XI’ team.
In the 2015â€"2016 season, Toni received support from Zinedine Zidane, who had also joined ‘Real Madrid’ as midfielder, years ago. Zidane praised Toni by saying that he was the “perfect signing†of ‘Real Madrid.’ His team won the ‘Champions Trophy.’ Hence, Toni became the first German player in the history of the game to have won two ‘Champions Trophies,’ playing for two different teams.
In October 2016, Toni’s contract with ‘Real Madrid’ was further extended until 2022. By the end of the 2016â€"2017 season, he was included in the ‘UEFA Team of the Year’ yet again. He also assisted his team in successfully defending the ‘Champions Trophy’ and became a part of three champion teams.
His international record too has been par-excellence through the years. Toni’s magnificent performances earned him a place in the national German squad. The 2007 ‘Under-17 World Cup’ saw an impressive display of his talent. He scored five goals throughout the tournament, and by the end of it, he was awarded with the ‘Golden Ball,’ which is awarded to the best player of the tournament.
Despite his amazing performances in the 2009 ‘Euro Under-21 Championship’ qualifiers, he was not chosen for the final team that was to participate in the tournament. Germany, nevertheless, won the title without him.
In January 2010, he officially entered the senior national team that was to be sent to the 2010 ‘World Cup.’ He made his debut in the final match of the group stage, against Ghana, and played some more matches against Spain, Uruguay, and Argentina.
Toni was subsequently included in the German 2014 ‘World Cup’ squad. In the semi-final match against Brazil, he scored two goals only two minutes apart, leading his team to a glorious 7â€"1 win. The ‘Castrol Performance Index’ stated that Toni was the best bet for the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award, but he could not reach beyond the top-10 shortlist for the ‘Golden Ball.’
Toni Kroos married his long-term girlfriend, Jessica Farber, in 2015. They have two children, Leon and Amelie. The family lives in their mansion in Mallorca, Spain.
Toni enjoys a low-key personal life, and his wife too, unlike other star-wives, likes to remain behind the scenes.
