Germany legend Lothar Matthaus has claimed the sale of Toni Kroos to Real Madrid is the ‘biggest mistake’ in Bayern Munich‘s history.
Kroos called time on his club career on Saturday after helping guide Real Madrid to their 15th Champions League title.
Goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jnr secured a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund and ensured the midfielder signed out in style with his sixth European triumph after a decade in Spain.
The 34-year-old moved to the Spanish capital in 2014 for a fee thought to be £20million after failing to extend his contract with Bayern.
Matthaus believes it’s a mistake the German side will rue for ‘many’ years. He said via Bild: ‘From FC Bayern’s point of view, it was the biggest mistake in the club’s history to sell Toni Kroos simply out of emotion and vanity.
Toni Kroos retired from club football after Real Madrid’s latest Champions League triumph
Lothar Matthaus believes the sale of the midfielder is Bayern Munich’s ‘biggest mistake’
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‘Similar to the departure of David Alaba , the decision here was not made rationally. The Kroos case will hurt those responsible for many, many years to come.’
Kroos left Bayern as the club failed to match his salary demand after manager at the time Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told him he was ‘not a world-class player’.
The Germany international recalled the situation on his podcast ‘Einfach mal Luppen’ a few years ago, saying: ‘Mr. Hoeneb (former Bayern president) came to me at the time and said that what my agent was demanding was an impertinence.
‘I told him “That may be your opinion. But that is what we are demanding, not my agent.”‘
Rummenigge then told Kroos: ‘We will not pay you more than ten million euros because you are not a world-class player.’
Kroos joined Real Madrid in 2014 after failing to agree to new contract with Bayern Munich
Kroos has not looked back since leaving Germany. He has made a mighty 465 appearances for Real Madrid- scoring 28 goals and registering 98 assists – the 17th highest in club history, and second-highest of players still with the club behind team-mate Luka Modric.
Following the announcement of his retirement last month, the club ‘expressed gratitude’ to Kroos for his tenure and said that the player would ‘go down in Real Madrid history as one of our club and international football’s greatest legends.’
‘Toni Kroos will remain forever in the hearts of every madridista thanks to his mastery of the game and the fact he has given his all for our jersey, a steady example of the values of Real Madrid,’ the statement added.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez made his own tribute, adding: ‘Toni Kroos is one of the great players in Real Madrid history and this club will always be his home.’
Kroos has played a key role in Madrid’s title-winning success this season, featuring in 32 league matches and registering nine goal contributions.
Kroos made a mighty 465 appearances for Real Madrid- scoring 28 goals over a decade
His renewed form saw him take up the mantle at international level once again, following his initial retirement in 2021 in the wake of Germany’s Euro 2020 campaign.
Kroos was named in head coach Julian Nagelsmann’s provisional squad for the side’s upcoming campaign, but despite previously sporting the armband, the midfielder is unlikely to unseat current national team captain Ilkay Gundogan.
Germany will begin their campaign against Scotland on June 14, and go into the tournament as one of the favourites two years on from their lacklustre showing at the World Cup in Qatar.
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