Antonio Rudiger has revealed that he asks Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos on a daily basis to reconsider his retirement from international football.
Kroos made 106 appearances for Germany between 2010 and 2021, winning the World Cup with his country in 2014 shortly before moving his club career to Madrid.
When he announced his retirement from the national team in the wake of a disappointing Euro 2020, aged just 31 at the time, the midfielder explained it was to allow him to focus on his club career and spent more time with his wife and three children.
But Kroos is clearly missed by his international colleagues.
“I ask him [to make himself available for Germany selection] every day. A player like him, who is still at such a high level, really has to be there,” Rudiger told DAZN this week.
“When Toni plays, with his heart rate of 20 and a game from another planet, everything is great. I would very much like him to play in the national team. But that is his decision.”
Soon to celebrate his 34th birthday next month, Kroos still plays a significant role for Madrid. He has featured in all 16 La Liga games this season, starting ten of them, even with a newer generation of players groomed to succeed him and long-time partner Luka Modric.
Germany will contest Euro 2024 on home soil at the end of the club season and will be hoping to use their advantage as hosts to put a dismal 2022 World Cup behind them.
From previously being perennial semi-finalists and regular finalists at major tournaments, Germany have gone into stark decline in recent years. A shock group stage exit at the 2018 World Cup was only compounded when it happened against in Qatar last year. The response has also been concerning, with the team only winning three of the 11 games they have played in 2023, losing six.
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