Few voices carry more weight in football than Toni Kroos, and even more so when discussing Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, two clubs where he achieved it all.

Speaking on the podcast Einfach mal luppen, which he co-hosts with his brother Felix, Kroos analyzed the tie and offered a nuanced but hopeful view for Madrid fans ahead of the second leg.

On the first leg, he admitted Bayern’s performance didn’t surprise him, but their reaction after taking control did: “I wasn’t surprised by the match itself… but after going 2-0 up, what stood out was the mental aspect.”

He expanded on that key moment: “The 2-0 lead should have mentally sealed the game… but Bayern started to drop back and defend with less intensity.”

Kroos expected the German side to dominate further: “I thought they would maintain control or even score a third, fourth, maybe even a fifth… but the opposite happened.”

The turning point, in his view, came after a defensive error: “Dayot Upamecano’s mistake against Vinícius Júnior changed everything. After that, Real Madrid showed their character.”

He also highlighted how Madrid reacted despite the scoreline: “They created several dangerous chances between the 60th and 75th minutes even at 2-0 down.”

Finally, Kroos reserved special praise for Manuel Neuer: “For me, he’s the best of all time. He’s the only goalkeeper who is truly fun to watch… his presence, his movements, his elegance. He’s incredible.”

********************************************************

You can now download the Madridista News App for free on the Apple Store and Google Play.

You can follow us on Facebook here.

You can follow us on X (Twitter) here.                                                                    

You can follow us on Instagram here.

You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

You can follow us on Telegram here.

You can follow us on TikTok here.

You can join our WhatsApp channel here.