Friend Reveals Real Reason Behind Toni Kroos's Move from Bayern to Real Madrid
Toni Kroos's decision to leave Bayern Munich and join Real Madrid was down to the lack of faith shown in him by chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
The staggering claim has been made by one of Kroos' closest friends and former youth teammate Stefan Reinhartz, who told the Bleacher Report that the playmaker reached "breaking point" at the Allianz Arena after Rummenigge's dismissal of his talents.
Kroos has gone on to become one of the leading lights in Zinedine Zidane's title-winning team in the Spanish capital, and Reinhartz explained how the Germany international's transfer to Santiago Bernabeu first came about in 2014.
He said: "Toni is a friend of mine, and I know the whole story. It was a little bit about money.
"Bayern Munich offered Toni a new contract. Toni knew what Mario Gotze was earning at Bayern Munich; Toni and Mario Gotze are [roughly] the same age. Bayern Munich didn't want to pay Toni more than €10 million.
"Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Toni: 'We won't pay you more than €10 million a year because you're not a world-class player.'
"If you know Toni, it's not about money. He needs the confidence of other people. He knew he was a very good player, a world-class player. That was the breaking point."
The story is all the more baffling when you consider how Kroos' and Gotze's careers have panned out since then and, whilst Gotze is still plying his trade at a European giant in Borussia Dortmund, Kroos has certainly gone on to eclipse his former teammate.
Kroos has been touted with making a move to the Premier League in recent seasons, with Manchester United tentatively linked with signing him, and Reinhartz went on to reveal just how the 'silent Galactico' would improve any club he theoretically joined.
He added: "He has a really good overview of the pitch. You could cover his eyes with your hands, and he could still tell you on the right-hand side 50 metres away is Thomas Muller and on the left side is Mesut Ozil, 25 metres away.
"If it's possible to break the line [between midfield and defence], he'll play it, but if it's not possible, he won't play it. He doesn't make mistakes, and he rarely ever gets injured. It seems like it's effortless, like an easy Sunday morning run-out."
