Jose Mourinho joked that UEFA should intervene to postpone Toni Kroos from retiring after Real Madrid’s latest Champions League final triumph over Borussia Dortmund.
Real Madrid secured their 15th European title with second-half strikes from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior, defeating Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley on Saturday night. German midfielder Kroos, who has announced his retirement following this summer’s Euros, made his final appearance for the Spanish giants.
As he was substituted towards the end of the game, he received a standing ovation and appeared deeply touched by the warm response from the fans. Speaking on TNT Sports, Mourinho called for UEFA to step in and stop Kroos from hanging up his boots while still in top form.
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The former Manchester United and Chelsea manager joked: “It should be forbidden. FIFA and UEFA, they have so many rules and decisions. Make a decision and stop the guy from retiring!”
In the aftermath of the victory, Kroos dived headfirst into a throng of ecstatic supporters, celebrating Real Madrid’s continued dominance in Europe. With this win, he cemented his legacy alongside other greats such as Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric, and Nacho – each now hold six Champions League titles.
Prior to the final, Kroos had been asked by CBS Sports if he might reconsider his decision to retire, to which he promptly responded: “No, it’s done. Once I take a decision, it’s done.”
The 34-year-old has racked up an impressive tally of 464 appearances for Real Madrid over a decade, finding the back of the net 28 times and providing 98 assists. His legacy at the club is secured as one of their all-time great midfielders, especially noted for his dynamic partnership with Modric.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti honoured Kroos in the lead-up to the match at Wembley, stating: “His decision to go is the decision of a great, a decision of character. We are saying farewell to a footballing great who we have been lucky to have here.
“He is a great midfielder with huge quality and fantastic character, with little ego, who always played for the team. We have been lucky to have him for 10 years. Toni could close his career with a Champions League, and at an individual level he deserves it, but his career doesn’t need another Champions League.
“He has been a fantastic player for 10 years, he had made history with Real Madrid and in world football.”
Kroos came very close to signing for Manchester United in 2014, and it appears he would have done so had the club not replaced David Moyes with Louis van Gaal.
Speaking in 2022, Kroos said: “I knew beforehand that United wanted me. Moyes absolutely underlined that. It was a really nice afternoon with very pleasant people. We talked a lot about United’s football plan, which convinced me.
“But we also got to know each other as people. We knew quite a bit about the Moyes family afterwards. We talked about how we lived and how we all imagined life as a family. In the end we broke up to do it. So we agreed verbally.
“The next step should be to look at everything on the spot in Manchester. The move would not have been that complicated – after all, we only had one child at the time, seven months old. It would all have worked.”
Reflecting on the move falling through, Kroos added: “I’m not someone who thinks about hypotheticals. Yes, it was close. I almost went to Manchester United. But that’s not how things turned out.
“I don’t have these what-if-thoughts. Because there are no real answers to them. The only thing I can say with certainty is that I probably wouldn’t have won the Champions League three times with Manchester United.”
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