REAL MADRID
Kroos opens up on Hazard: “I think everyone would say in retrospect: it was not a good signing”
“We also had someone who came in for a lot of money and more or less put their career on hold,” said Kroos.
Wednesdays are podcast days: both Toni Kroos and his brother Felix are used to giving their thoughts on a variety of topics on a weekly basis and putting them out to the world. This time, as always, there was a lot to chat about during the recording of Einfach mal luppen.
The pair spoke about the signing of Jude Bellingham, the departure of Karim Benzema and the farewell to Eden Hazard, who recieved some criticism from Kroos given the way his time at Real Madrid unfolded. These were the most outstanding statements from Toni Kroos:
Hazard ‘was not a good signing’
Bellingham: “He’s a top player that many teams wanted because of the mix of quality and age he brings. I usually have a lot of confidence in our managers. If Real Madrid put in that much [money and effort to sign him], I hope it will be a very good signing for us. If he does as well as he did at Dortmund, we’ll be saying that it was a good deal. If not, then no.”
€103 million [fee for Bellingham]: “We also had someone who came in for a lot of money and more or less put their career on hold (Eden Hazard). A lot of money was also involved and I think everyone would say in retrospect: it was not a good signing. But let’s be optimistic. If it’s already done, then welcome to Madrid.”
Kroos thought Benzema would retire at Madrid
Benzema: “These decisions depend on yourself. There are also circumstances that contribute to a decision. I think he came to Real when he was 20 or 21 years old. What he gave the club, the important goals he scored... last year was just the icing on the cake. There have been few forwards in the last 15 years who have used the ball like him, who have not limited themselves just to scoring. It was a great pleasure playing with him. There’s no doubt. Seeing a player like that for so many years was a joy.”
Moment of the statement: “I thought he was carrying on with the idea of finishing his career in Madrid. I can understand that everything was signed, sealed and communicated so quickly. I think it was very important for him to say goodbye to the Bernabéu. You could tell that it was all done at short notice. If not, something else would have been arranged for him. It was a fitting farewell considering the time available. I think there were relatively few who knew and there were many who found out through the official statement. There was no speech from him or anything like that.”
