On the same evening, Euro said goodbye to two legends: Toni Kroos and Cristiano Ronaldo. But the first name left more regretful feelings.

Kroos and Ronaldo said goodbye to Euro on the same evening – Photo: REUTERS

Not because Kroos is better than Ronaldo , but because he chose to retire at an unexpected age – 34 years old. Meanwhile, Ronaldo only said goodbye to Euro, and is ready to head to the World Cup with Portugal at the age of 40.

Self-respect like Kroos

In May, Kroos shared the reason for his retirement in a podcast. “Everyone who has listened to me knows that I only had one choice to end my career, and that was at Real Madrid . I never wanted the day when the fans, the team, the people around me had to tell me that it was time to retire. At that time, I would have been on the bench for 1-2 seasons. Luckily, I won’t have to face that.”

But fans want Kroos to delay his retirement. During Real Madrid’s Champions League victory celebration, many fans chanted slogans asking Kroos to change his mind. 

But Kroos’ statement shows how carefully he has considered his choice. The 34-year-old midfielder is fit enough to play at the top level for another 1-2 years. But he does not want to put himself on the bench, to be a burden to the team. Kroos wants fans to always remember him with the best things.

Kroos also ended the speculation that he would leave Real Madrid to go to a more relaxed football environment like Saudi Arabia like many of his former teammates – Ronaldo, Benzema… to “retire”. He wants to always be the image of a Kroos in peak form, at the best club in the world.

Kroos’s decision to return to the German national team to play the rest of Euro 2024 is almost purely an act of national duty. A star who is completely at ease with the decision to retire at the peak of his career like him, there is no need to try to hold on to another Euro.

Despite Germany’s quarter-final exit, their fans were generally satisfied with this Euro, which helped Germany recover after 6 consecutive years of sadness rather than joy. In that journey of resurrection, Kroos was a beautiful image.

Toni Kroos to retire from football after Euro 2024 – Photo: REUTERS

Questions for Ronaldo

Meanwhile, Ronaldo seems to be still persistent with his World Cup ambition. After the 2022 World Cup , CR7 affirmed that he wanted to play another World Cup when he was 41 years old. The defeat to France forced Ronaldo to say goodbye to Euro. But he has not made any further statements about his future plans. Ronaldo has not yet retired from the national team.

We cannot compare Kroos with Ronaldo. Although they are both legends, comparing a quiet midfielder with a flashy superstar who has won 5 Golden Balls is still very lame. Even in the German national team, Kroos is hardly considered the brightest star in each period. As for Portugal, Ronaldo is always a source of pride. 

“If Ronaldo wants to continue, I believe any Portuguese will support him,” said coach Luis Filipe, a Portuguese currently working in Vietnam.

But Ronaldo’s journey at Euro 2024 still leaves many question marks . He played 5 matches with 486 minutes (including extra time), only resting for about 20 minutes at the end of the loss to Georgia. All Ronaldo could do was an assist in the win over Turkey when the match was already decided.  

Ronaldo has had 20 shots at Euro 2024, has taken a penalty, has taken almost every free kick within 25m. But the goal still hasn’t come. There is a statistic that has shocked his fans, Ronaldo has only won 5 aerial duels in 5 matches, an average of once per match.

These results are not to criticize CR7, because a striker who is about to turn 40 years old like him, does he have any chance against the tall central defenders, who are entering their prime like Saliba – Upamecano? The image of Ronaldo struggling after Saliba’s nudges (quite often) is an image full of exclamation. So is it time for Ronaldo to be like Kroos, making a choice that will help him feel more at ease?

Liverpool star Diogo Jota did not play a single minute against France. At Euro 2024, Jota only played 97 minutes, with 15 of those minutes coming against Georgia. Before Euro 2024, Jota was Portugal’s main striker with 2 goals in 2 friendly matches against Finland and Croatia. But since Ronaldo’s return, Jota has been almost absent because he and CR7 are both only suitable for the top position in the attack.

Kroos – 34 years old, stopped in the regret of the whole world football village. Ronaldo – 39 years old, still eager to fight even when doubted and criticized. Football, has always been a sport full of contemplation like that!