Kroos Insists Ozil 'Deserved Better' But Insists Racism Does Not Exist in German National Set Up
Toni Kroos has spoken in depth about his international future, Mesut Ozil's controversial international retirement and Cristiano Ronaldo'sReal Madrid exit.
The German is preparing for his fifth season with the Spanish giants and will be hoping it can be another trophy-filled campaign for Madrid - though he returns to his club after a very difficult summer with the national side.
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After winning the World Cup four years ago, Germany crashed out in the group stages in Russia, resulting in a very underwhelming tournament for one of the pre-tourmanet favouites.
Speaking in an interview with Sport Bild, Kroos cleared up any speculation regarding his international future by revealing he's already set his sights on playing at Euro 2020 with the national side.
He said: "I will continue on my way to the European Championship in 2020 and have set myself as a big goal, that we are significantly more successful there than last."
Whilst Kroos is set to continue his international career, one German who won't be is Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil - who recently announced his retirement from international football after reports of racism from the German FA and fans towards him. Speaking on the matter, Kroos admitted the midfielder deserved a better send off, but that their was not a racist culture within the national team setup.
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"Basically Mesut is a deserved national player and deserves a better finish as a footballer. I have played with Mesut for many years and know that he is a nice guy. The way of his resignation was not ok.
"The proportion that is well and properly addressed in his statement is unfortunately overshadowed by the much higher proportion of nonsense. I think that he himself knows that racism does not exist within the national team and the DFB.
"On the contrary, we are always committed to diversity and integration. Mesut was a good example of that, as many of our fellow players did."
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With the World Cup now behind him, Kroos will be fully focused on the season ahead as Real Madrid look to defend their Champions League crown and beat Barcelona to the La Liga title for what would be only the second time in nine years.
However, that task got a lot tougher when it was revealed the club's all time record goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo was leaving for Juventus and whilst Kroos admitted would be missed, he still believes Madrid can be a top team without him.
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"It will be exciting to see how we catch his nearly 50 guaranteed goals per season. It is a nice job to show that even without him we are a top team. Because I am convinced of that."
Madrid will get their league campaign underway at home to Getafe on Sunday evening and will be looking to get off to a flying start, despite falling to defeat in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday night.
