Toni Kroos (35), a former German international and 2014 World Cup winner, talked about Germany's two recent matches (a 0-2 defeat to Slovakia and a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland) in a podcast interview with his brother Felix Kroos (34), and offered sharp criticism of the national team.
Felix said: “Looking at this squad list, I think it's never been this easy to get into the national team. Now, it seems you can get called up just by putting in a good performance over 3 or 4 weeks – that's not a good sign. I bet you don't even know all the selected players either, do you?”
Toni replied: "You're right. Can you blame me?" (This implies that Toni Kroos doesn't even know all the current Germany internationals.)
Felix said: “I don't blame you. It's just that I feel it was much harder to get into the national team back in the day, and I never made it myself...”
Toni then joked: “If it were now, you might even have a chance to get selected for the national team.”
Toni further analyzed: “The fact is, we don't have 50 players of top international caliber these days. Our squad depth at the international level is very limited. But no matter which lineup we field, we should have performed better against Slovakia and Northern Ireland.”
Toni also bluntly stated that he doesn't know the players of the opposing teams either: “If you asked me to name any players from Slovakia or Northern Ireland, I couldn't name a single one.”
Nevertheless, the former Real Madrid midfielder remained optimistic: "We're still a long way from talking about winning the World Cup – that's the reality. But if all the best German players stay fit, we still have the strength to show our advantages. Things might be different by next summer." (Currently, key players such as Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, and Nico Schlotterbeck are sidelined due to injuries.)
Toni believes Germany will not be eliminated from the World Cup qualifiers: “Fortunately, we're in a group where elimination is basically impossible.”
Toni Kroos officially retired after the 2024 European Championship. He earned 114 caps for the German national team. After the 2021 European Championship, he once bid farewell to the national team, but returned in March 2024 and finally concluded his brilliant playing career after Germany's defeat to Spain in the quarter-finals of the European Championship (as hosts).
