Toni Kroos, midfielder for Spanish club Real Madrid, announced today, Thursday, his return to the German national team after three years of international retirement, ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament scheduled to take place in his home country. Kroos, 34, who won the World Cup with the national team in 2014, had declared his retirement from international football in July 2021 following Germany's 2-0 defeat against England in the Round of 16 of the previous European Championship at Wembley Stadium.
Kroos, who made his international debut in 2010, has played 106 matches for the German national team. He has also won the UEFA Champions League five times among a long list of club achievements during his career with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
In a post on social media, Kroos stated: "Starting from March, I will play for the German national team again." He added, "Why? Because the national team's coach asked me to, because I want to, and because I believe there are more things that can be achieved with the team in the European Championship than people currently think."
Germany will host the European Championship, which kicks off on June 14 and will be held in ten cities, concluding with the final match in Berlin on July 14. However, the German national team has not performed at its best in recent years, having exited in the group stage of the last two World Cups in 2018 and 2022.
National team coach Julian Nagelsmann, who took over in September 2023, has not had a strong start, with the team achieving only two victories in their last six matches.
