Toni Kroos could have signed for Barcelona before Real Madrid transfer | OneFootball

As Toni Kroos prepares to play his final match at the Santiago Bernabeu as a Real Madrid player tonight, an interesting revelation has come forth regarding his career.

A bonafide legend at the club, Kroos signed for Los Blancos in the summer of 2014, arriving in a deal worth just €25 million from Bayern Munich.

In the decade he has been at the club, the 34-year-old German has won all possible trophies and titles available to him.

However, it could have all been very different for Kroos as he could have ended up at Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona.

Indeed, as per journalist Ramon Besa on Cadena SER (via AS), when Kroos decided to leave Bayern Munich in 2014, he was considering both Barcelona and Real Madrid as options.

Kroos retires this summer. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

In fact, then-Bayern manager Pep Guardiola also put his name forward at Barça but the Catalans decided against the move while Kroos also decided in favour of Real Madrid.

“I remember the case of Kroos very well because I asked Guardiola about him when he left Bayern and he presented himself as an alternative that could be signed by Barcelona or Madrid,” the journalist recalled.

“The player had the idea of leaving Bayern and wasn’t sure whether to go to Madrid or Barça. Barcelona didn’t know how to bid, they thought they had alternative players. There was even talk of [Sergi] Samper as an alternative midfielder.”

Further continuing, Besa added: “They rejected Kroos. Guardiola warned that he was a very interesting player and for whatever reason he opted for Madrid.

“Barça didn’t know how to want him or offer him what he wanted. He has triumphed at Madrid in an extraordinary way.”