After Germany’s Euro 2024 campaign ended in a 2-1 loss to Spain in extra time, Toni Kroos announced his definitive retirement from football.
In Stuttgart, the summer event hosts were eliminated after 120 minutes of play in the quarterfinal.
After Florian Wirtz’s late goal sent the match into extra time, Dani Olmo had given Spain the lead in the second half.
Before Mikel Merino scored the game-winning goal in the last minute of extra time, penalties appeared to be imminent.
Kroos will finally hang up his boots as a result of the outcome.
Legendary midfielder Toni Kroos, who spent his last 10 years at Real Madrid, announced in May that he would retire after the European Championships in Germany. His team had an outstanding tournament but lost to Spain in the quarter-finals. Throughout his remarkable career, Kroos won 34 honors for club and country but never secured the European trophy. Despite his impressive performance in the tournament, he has decided to stick with his plan to retire.
“After 10 years [at Madrid], at the end of the season this chapter comes to an end,” Kroos wrote in an Instagram post from May.
“At the same time this decision means that my career as an active footballer will end this summer after the Euro championship. As I have always said: Real Madrid is and will be my last club. I am happy and proud, that in my mind I found the right timing for my decision and that I could choose it by my own.”
Germany and Kroos lost out on the opportunity to assert European dominance and, for the first time since 1996, return home with silverware.
