Real Madrid are in talks with Toni Kroos over a plan to bring back the retired midfielder in a new role with key responsibilities.
Kroos, 36, decided to retire from football after playing for Germany at the home 2024 European Championship, despite Madrid being keen for him to renew his contract.
Since stepping away from the professional game, his focus has been on the Toni Kroos Academy, which opened in Madrid in September 2024.
Sources with knowledge of the talks, who asked to speak anonymously as they did not have permission to comment, say one of the ideas Madrid are studying is for Kroos to join their sporting structure. This would mean a route back into the club similar to that followed by Zinedine Zidane, who first took up an advisory role in November 2010 and later turning his hand to coaching.
Although the exact nature of Kroos’s possible role is still unclear, sources say Madrid see him as a valuable asset when it comes to decisions on squad planning, representing the club and providing day-to-day support at the training ground. If Kroos were to return, he would work closely with the club’s major decision makers, including president Florentino Perez, general manager Jose Angel Sanchez and chief scout Juni Calafat.
Madrid have been open to discussing a possible return for Kroos for some time and the relationship between club and former player is very good. Sources say his judgement and character are held in high regard, as is his experience of the dynamics of such a demanding dressing room.
Kroos won 23 trophies during his 10 years at the Bernabeu following his signing from Bayern Munich in 2014, including five Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles. Over his 17-year playing career he also won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, making 114 appearances for his country.
Will Kroos take the ‘Zidane path’?
Kroos returning to Madrid would be surprising, yet logical.
Surprising, because not quite two years have passed since his retirement. Despite having the offer to extend at Madrid, and with him arguably still being in the peak of his career, he decided he wanted to spend more time with his family.
When Kroos retired, he did so having just won a Champions League and La Liga double. Everyone agreed he still had plenty of football left in him.
Since then, he has enjoyed more time with his wife and children, while also working on personal projects, including a popular podcast he runs with his brother Felix, and the Toni Kroos Academy.
Those familiar with the academy project say that Kroos has really thrown himself into it. When people close to him asked if he would like to one day become a coach, his response was that he already is one.
After a long playing career, Kroos was tired of so much travelling and having so few days at home. Those close to him said they could not see him returning to elite football soon. However, there is now a real chance that this could change.
Zidane initially returned to Madrid as an advisor, before later coaching the first team on two occasions (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
A move to Madrid would be logical, because of his status at the club, his affection for it, and because of the team’s disappointing past two seasons since his exit. His return would be seen as a welcome boost.
His role has yet to be decided, but as someone with in-depth knowledge of the club suggested to The Athletic, the idea of him following a similar path to that of Zidane would be a safe bet.
Kroos could start in a similar advisory role, while also representing the club at official events, as did the Frenchman. It could also mean him working more closely with the squad, or gradually moving towards a coaching role, if the urge takes him.
Zidane’s first coaching role was as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant, before taking charge of Real Madrid’s reserves in June 2014. After being promoted to the first team, he won three Champions League titles in a row between 2015-16 and 2017-18.
That would not be a bad formula to try and repeat.