Aurelien Tchouameni drops hint on Toni Kroos retirement plans | OneFootball

Aurelien Tchouameni has hinted that veteran Real Madrid star Toni Kroos may retire at the end of the 2023/24 season.

Tchouameni and Kroos play alongside one another at club level, with the pair regularly making up two thirds of Madrid's impressive midfield under Carlo Ancelotti. The duo have been instrumental to Madrid's La Liga-topping form throughout the 2023/24 season - Tchouameni has featured 23 times in the league, while Kroos has played all but one game.

Speaking on The Bridge, Tchouameni hinted at Kroos' future plans, admitting that the midfielder has previously said that he may retire soon.

"It's funny to talk about retirement, it's important to think about it because as an athlete at some times, in one moment, it's going to be finished. In my team we have Toni Kroos who is one of the best midfielders ever, and he's playing at such a high level this season," the Frenchman said.

"He just has a one year contract, so after each season he can decide if he wants to stop [playing] or not. And when you talk to him about retirement he says maybe he can stop at the end of the season. Why? He replies 'because I want to finish at the top'.

"And that's hard to understand but, at the end of the day, I feel like he is also right."

Kroos' importance to Los Blancos comes despite being seemingly in the latter stages of his footballing career. The 34-year-old has been playing for the Spanish giants for a decade, but has shown no signs of slowing down this season.

The Madrid legend also recently returned to the fold at international level for Germany ahead of Euro 2024, earning rave reviews for his performance in his side's surprise mauling of Tchouameni's France in a friendly during the March international break.

Although playing as well as ever, speculation has arisen about Kroos' retirement plans due to the midfielder having just a few months left on his current deal at the Santiago Bernabeu. The German star signed a one year extension last season, but has yet to do the same during this campaign heading into the final weeks of 2023/24.