âMy children are a bit 50/50 about this. Leon wants me to keep playing, heâs a true Madridista and doesnât want me to go. Amy however canât wait to see me riding a horse this summer. Iâve always said to her âthis is to dangerous, what if I injure myself then I canât do the preseason.ââ
âWith Fynn however, I think I managed to retire just in time, so he wonât beat me up about it. This season he was old enough to really understand football and has gone after Leon - true Madridistas both of them. I genuinely think if I wouldâve retired next year, Fynn would beat me up.â
[âŚ]
âThis season went the way I imagined it to be. I stayed healthy without injuries the whole time, letâs hope this continues until after the euros.â (he laughs)
âIâve had a lot of fun during the games this season, I relished in the atmosphere of the stadium and enjoyed every single moment. I managed to keep my level; we as a team managed to be successful. Thatâs always the big goal when you think about retirement: you always want to retire successfully.â
âI think that I can say â even before the Champions League final â that we played a successful season as a team, amazing evenings, amazing games.â
âI always want to retire on a successful level. I never wanted to feel like people from the club or fans had to tell me âtime to go nowâ. A future of spending time on the bench or not playing, always felt like a dent to my career.â
âIâm proud that I can say Iâve made that decision by myself with my family - thatâs a beautiful feeling. This decision wasnât taken for me or without me but BY ME.â
[âŚ]
âEveryone Iâve talked to however says: âwhy now? you could retire next year just as successfully, you still have it in you.ââ
âBut I donât want to challenge it. Yes, it could be true that next year is gonna be as great as this one. Plus Iâve already considered retiring last year and I have built a lot of projects next to playing. Now I can actually imagine a life without football - not that I wonât miss football. But a life without all the travelling, without the constant stays in hotels; a life with more time for my family sounds nice.â
âI enjoy the prospect of having time for myself and my family.â
âWith Real Madrid I never in all those years had the feeling that you have to deliver on the pitch first in order to be loved. They loved and accepted me at 24 with open arms, which gave me the confidence to play like I do on the pitch. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity.â đ¤
- Toni Kroos, Einfach mal Luppen