Toni Kroos Only Named 4 Real Madrid Stars in His Greatest Teammates 11

Toni Kroos called time on one of the great playing careers of this generation after Germany were knocked out of the Euro 2024. The Germany star has been one of the best midfielders in the world over the last decade, winning countless trophies with Real Madrid.

Kroos played alongside some fantastic players during his career, and he named plenty of them when selecting a starting XI comprising the best teammates of his career. There were a couple of somewhat surprising inclusions from the early stages of his career, but familiar names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric both made the cut.

Toni Kroos’ all-time teammates XI

Goalkeeper
Manuel Neuer

Defence
Sergio Ramos

Defence
Gonzalo Castro

Defence
Stefan Reinartz

Holding midfield
Joshua Kimmich

Midfield
Casemiro

Midfield
Luka Modric

Midfield
Felix Kroos

Left wing
Cristiano Ronaldo

Right wing

Striker
Miroslav Klose

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Toni Kroos won more Club World Cups than any other player, having won the tournament six times (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023).

Goalkeeper and defence

Neuer; Ramos, Castro, Reinartz

Kroos played alongside Manuel Neuer for three years at Bayern Munich and was a teammate of the great goalkeeper at international level with Germany. Kroos said: “I don’t think there’s an option other than Manu even though I had some training sessions with Oli Kahn. There’s not much more that needs saying about Manu.”

“For me, the best of all time. Full stop.”

Toni Kroos on Manuel Neuer

In defence, Kroos went with a back three and only one of the defenders chosen was a former Real Madrid teammate, with Sergio Ramos getting the nod. “One of the best centre-backs to have played the game,” Kroos said of the Spaniard. “A great captain, what else can I say? Strong in the tackle, a real goal threat for a defender, a great passer, a great player and teammate and has been pivotal to my own success in recent years.”

Kroos only played alongside the other two defenders he chose for 18 months. The midfielder was sent to Bayer Leverkusen on loan in January 2009 and remained there for a season and a half, where he was teammates with compatriots Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Reinartz.

On Castro, Kroos said: “We made up an unusual duo back then because he played left-back and didn’t want to, and I played left midfield ahead of him and didn’t want to either! But we accepted it and complemented each other well. A great player who, given his ability, certainly could have had a very different career than he had.”

Kroos said of Reinartz: “He became a good friend at Leverkusen and was a player who was underrated – certainly in my eyes. I enjoyed playing with him. A great footballer, a great guy. He can hold his drink too, and all of those make him a good fit for my top 11.”

Midfield

Kimmich, Casemiro, Kroos, Modric

Kroos conquered Europe with Madrid on several occasions alongside Casemiro and Luka Modric and, unsurprisingly, named the duo in his team. “We’ve enjoyed huge success together, and it’s always fun playing alongside them. I think we’ve built a trio that covers everything, from aggressivity, technical skills, defending, attacking – everything.”

A sentimental selection saw Kroos’ younger brother, Felix, included in the team. Felix, one year younger than Toni, played for Germany at youth level and had spells at Union Berlin and Werder Bremen during his career. “I spent almost the whole of my youth career with him,” Kroos said.

“I’ll put him in my top 11 as a favour from his big brother. That way he gets to play for a good team for once!”

Toni Kroos on Felix Kroos

Rounding off the midfield was Germany and Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich. Kroos said: “I picked him because we got on the same wavelength quite quickly. Our midfield had to improve fairly quickly [after the 2018 World Cup], and we adjusted to each other quickly too. I think we both enjoy playing there together. He certainly deserves to be in there as well with the mentality that he has.”

Ronaldo, Muller/Ribery, Klose

Kroos was teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo for four years at Real Madrid, winning the European Cup in three of them. Kroos said: “I played alongside him during that really successful period at Real too. He’s won it all, there’s not much else to say.”

The German could not choose between Thomas Muller and Franck Ribery, insisting that they would have to play a half each: “I used to play with Thomas back in the Bayern reserves. We’ve spent a lot of years together, and we get on well both on and off the pitch. He is a quality player and still is today. As for Franck Ribery, he’s someone I really enjoyed playing with at Bayern, because he was a great team player, loved to play the game, and we linked up well too. As a person, he is really one of a kind. An absolute team player and a quality footballer.”

Rounding off the 11 was Germany legend Miroslav Klose, who Kroos said played a big role in making him feeling comfortable when stepping up to Bayern’s first team as a teenager. “On the one hand, it (including Klose) is down to his quality on the pitch. As a midfielder, Miro was the perfect striker as he knew me well and made great runs for me to pick out. But the other reason is that when I came into the first team as a 16, 17-year-old, he was one of those that made me feel really welcome.

“He looked after me and made sure I was okay. We quickly developed a good personal relationship, which then carried on into the national team, and we still stay in contact today too. Plus, he’s the record goalscorer at World Cup finals after all, which says everything. He’s also just a great guy.”