Toni Kroos, who signed for Real Madrid after refusing to extend his contract at Bayern Munich, has said that the key reason behind his decision to sign for Los Blancos is Carlo Ancelotti.
Toni Kroos was arguably the best midfielder of the World Cup in Brazil. Considering his brilliant performances throughout last year for the club and the country, Bayern Munich were ready to extend his contract by offering him a pay hike. However, the midfielder chose not to extend his contract and joined Real Madrid instead.
And now, Toni Kroos has revealed that the biggest motivating factor behind his move to Real Madrid was coach Carlo Ancelotti.
a Ancelotti is one of the reasons I came to Real Madrid a I think it’s normal to talk with the coach before taking that step. He gave me a positive impression and told me Real Madrid would be even stronger with me in their ranks. It was obviously a good conversation,a said Toni Kroos. He was speaking to UEFA.com.
a Ancelotti trusted me from the beginning in a position where I hadn’t played that much, which was nonetheless in midfield. I enjoy playing in this position. Our relationship is good. We communicate a lot before each game. We discuss how I have to approach each game according to the opponent we’re facing. I still don’t know every team that well, which is normal. But Ancelotti tries to fill in the gaps.a
In his interview, Toni Kroos also outlined his ambitions for Real Madrid; claiming that he wants to win La Liga and UEFA Champions League for them.
a It has been a good start for me. I have been here a while now, so [my start] is in the past. It’s gone well from the off. For the time being, we are first in our league and still in the race for the Champions League, and I hope we will be successful. As far as I am concerned, I hope to contribute to that success.a
a This competition (Champions League) is always brilliant, especially when you reach the knockout stages. At this point, the games are tight and you meet the best teams in Europe. The greatest challenge is to show what you can do season in, season out in the competition.Of course, the highlight of my career at this level was winning the tournament with Bayern, and I will try to repeat that success with Real Madrid.a