Recently, Toni Kroos accepted an interview with Romário, during which he talked about his experience of working with Brazilian players at the club, the upcoming World Cup, as well as Carlo Ancelotti and Neymar. The following is the first part of the exclusive interview.
On Working with Brazilian Players
“For me, they have always left a good impression, even since I was a child. At Real Madrid, I have always had a good relationship with Vinícius, Casemiro, Militão... They really enjoy life, and their lifestyle is very different from that of Germans. Playing with Casemiro or Vini has great chemistry; he completely understands me. Vinícius and I have a good understanding. I also get along well with them off the pitch. If the relationship off the pitch is not good, it’s hard to have a good one on the pitch. I make use of Vini’s movement, and he makes use of my passes.”
On the World Cup
“Spain, Portugal, France and Morocco are the favorites for the World Cup. I didn’t mention Brazil, but they could be too. It’s good to let more countries participate, but I am against increasing the number of teams now. We must protect the players and the quality of the tournament. With too many teams, we will see a lot of lopsided games and big wins, which is not what fans want. There’s an extra round of knockout matches. For me, what matters is exciting, high-quality games. I don’t enjoy 5-0 or 6-0 matches. I know players are already tired when they participate in the World Cup, but there are more games added to the World Cup. The competitive level is declining.”
On Ancelotti and Brazil
"He could have left a year earlier, but he stayed at Real Madrid. I talked to him when I saw him in the summer and wished him good luck. I know he is very eager to coach the Brazilian national team, and I hope everything goes well for him. I think Brazil has better players, like Vinícius, who is more experienced now."
On Neymar
"The biggest question is when he can recover 100%—this has been an old problem in the past few years because he has suffered too many injuries and may lack match rhythm. I don’t know him very well. Now he is injured again, and there are only 6 months left. If he is physically fit, he can help any team in the world."
