Luka Doncic asks Toni Kroos to stay at Real Madrid after retirement announcement

Toni Kroos’ decision to retire after Euro 2024 has shocked the world of Football to the core. The German has been a key member of Real Madrid’s midfield since 2014, when he signed from Bayern Munich.

463 games later for Real Madrid, his last one will be at Wembley as Los Blancos take on Borussia Dortmund in what could be Kroos’ 6th Champions League with the 14-time European champions.

The choice to go out on a high was something that was always said to be on Kroos’ mind, and it has come to pass. The announcement has also taken many of his teammates seemingly by surprise, many of whom - both past and present - who have made their thoughts clear on social media.

Doncic reacts to Kroos retirement

One of them isn’t a direct teaMMAte: Luka Doncic and Toni Kroos obviously don’t play the same sport, but the NBA legend was once the key player at Real Madrid’s basketball team before making the move stateside.

Doncic commented on Kroos’ social media post, saying “Noooooooo 🥹 toni stay!!!!”

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The world of football reacts to Kroos news

Of course, the Real Madrid football players sent out heartfelt messages in honour of the German metronome, with Vini Jr calling Kroos “a genius” while Fede Valverde got the fans emotional by saying that “a part of me is thanks to you”.

Luka Modric, for his part, thanked Kroos for sharing the field with him for all these years and ex-teammate Cristiano Ronaldo said that is was “an honour” to play alongside him, before wishing him “all the best” for the future.

Toni Kroos sends Jude Bellingham a message: “more than ready to take over”

The German responded to few of the comments, but one of them stood out. English midfielder Jude Bellingham posted a photo of himself hugging Kroos on social media to which the German replied “Thanks my friend. More years together would have been unfair 😂 Enjoyed every minute since you joined! You are more than ready to take over! At age 20...”

Who will wear Toni Kroos’ number 8 shirt at Real Madrid next season?

The great shirt number debate had opened as soon as Kroos made his decision public, but now it seems like it’s already over. The German replied to Fede Valverde’s social media post with the following: “Ufff 🥹 My dear Fede. You know that you are very important to me. Because I love you as a player and a person. You have absolutely everything to be the captain of this team in the future. I’ll always be at your side! ❤️ and tomorrow we’ll talk about another topic... #8″

Vini Jr replied to that comment with the words “the heir of the number 8″, which leaves things pretty clear.

Toni Kroos will play his last Game at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu against Real Betis on Saturday May 25 at 3pm ET.

After that, the Champions League final will take place on June 1, at Wembley Stadium at 3pm ET/12 noon PT. That will be Toni Kroos’ final game as a Real Madrid player before he heads to the Euro 2024 tournament, celebrated in his home nation of Germany.