Toni Kroos reveals Cristiano Ronaldo's 'positive addiction' to football

The recently retired Real Madrid icon shared unknown details about his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo while also talking candidly about his time with Los Blancos. The Al-Nassr star's "positive addiction" was another topic covered by the German.

After playing for Germany at the UEFA Euro 2024, Toni Kroos made the decision to end his storied football career this summer. While the UEFA Champions League victory marked his final game in club football, Germany's European Championship quarterfinal exit came as a cruel blow to the national team as they lost to Spain.

While in a conversation with AS, the former Real Madrid superstar said, "Cristiano was there when I arrived at training and he was still there when I left. We all want to win titles and score goals, but for him scoring goals was a positive addiction. I dare say that's what he wants in Saudi Arabia too."

With seven goals in eight games this season in all competitions, the 39-year-old has been in scorching form. His next game is scheduled for this Saturday, when Al-Nassr takes on Al-Orobah.

“Without the team, the individual would be nothing” : Toni Kroos

Kroos gave Real Madrid credit for their approach to managing squad changes as he thought back on the team. He admitted that when it came time to replace elite players, the team always had a strategy in place. The former FIFA World Cup added, “Real Madrid have always done things very intelligently. Whenever we had to replace world-class players, a young player was already prepared. The pieces fit together.”

In regards to individual honors, Kroos stated that he thought they were superfluous in a team game such as football. He emphasized that a player's success is inextricably linked to the success of the team and that individual achievements would be meaningless without the backing of teammates. The former Bayern Munich midfielder said, “Individual awards seem completely unnecessary to me. Football is a team sport. Without the team, the individual would be nothing”