Toni Kroos, on David Alaba: "Having quality isn't enough"
The German midfielder gave his thoughts on the rumours linking his old Bayern Munich team mate to Real Madrid in an interview with Sky.
Toni Kroos and David Alaba know each other well. They were team mates at Bayern Munich and could be reunited at Real Madrid if the Austrian defender, who has announced he will be leaving the German champions at the end of the season, ends up at the Bernabéu. Much of that will depend on what kind of salary Alaba might expect but Kroos is in no doubt what the defender is capable of bringing to Madrid.
Kroos spoke candidly about the rumours linking Alaba to Los Blancos. "The problem is that I haven't played alongside him for seven years," he told Sky. "So it's a bit difficult to say what I think. I've read Alaba's name mentioned in relation to Real Madrid, but other than that I don't have any further information".
While Kroos preferred to remain cautious about the rumours placing his old team mate in Real Madrid's orbit he is sure that Alaba would fit in perfectly at the Bernabéu. "If he is first-choice at Bayern, I'm sure that he would apport the quality needed to play for Real Madrid. There's no doubt about that, but we'll see what happens in the end," added Kroos, who shared the same dressing room as Alaba for a total of four seasons between 2010 and 2014.
However, the midfielder, a world champions with Germany in 2014, also cautioned that having a good reputation isn't always enough to make a mark at Real Madrid. While it's clear that Alaba has the talent, he would also need to adapt to a new club. "There have been many players here who have certainly had quality. You need to have quality here, be physically in top shape mentally prepared to deal with moments when things aren't going well for you. Having quality, sometimes isn't enough," Kroos concluded.