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The Professor will continue 'teaching' next season
Toni Kroos will stay with Real Madrid for one more season.
"Cross will stay at Real until 2025, as a new one-year contract has been agreed," Fabrizio Romano, a journalist familiar with European soccer news, reported on Sunday. There have been direct talks between Kroos and Real about the contract, and a formal agreement is imminent," he reported.
German international Kroos joined Bayern Munich's youth team in 2006 after spending his youth career with the likes of Greifspalter and Hannover Rostock. He made his professional debut just one season later and was touted as a promising youngster.
However, he struggled to break into the first team at the start of his Munich career. At the time, the Bavarians had a strong midfield with the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Andreas Ottl, so he wasn't guaranteed playing time. His only option was to go out on loan. Kroos went on loan to Leverkusen in 2009-10, where he scored nine goals and provided 12 assists in the Bundesliga, a high offensive output for a midfielder.
He then returned to Munich and became a regular starter for the Bavarians. He helped the team win the Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League (UCL), and DFB-Pokal in 2012-13, a triple treble.
Despite becoming a key member of the team, he left Munich. During his contract negotiations, he fell out with Munich and reports surfaced that he might leave the club. Real Madrid were interested in Crosby at the time, and he eventually joined the Spanish giants for a new challenge.
Since his move to Real in the summer of 2014, he has been a soccer guru. Nicknamed "Professor Football" in South Korea, Kroos led the team's midfield, playing a cut above the rest. Along with Luka Modric and Kasemir, Kroos formed the center of the midfield and lifted many trophies. He won 20 trophies, including an unprecedented three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles and three La Liga titles.
He played 455 games in a Real shirt, scoring 28 goals and providing 96 assists. However, at the age of 34, it was time to consider retirement. Cross is under contract with Real until June 2024, which led to speculation that he would retire after this season. However, Cross will play until June 2025 after verbally agreeing to a one-year contract extension with Real.