Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos spoke to Real Madrid TV after receiving the Knight\u2019s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany at the Bernab\u00e9u on Thursday. He was asked about what receiving it meant for him, to which he said: \u201cI\u2019m very happy. I\u2019ve received several awards in my career, but this is the highest honour you can receive in Germany. And if it\u2019s also for the Foundation, where we help sick children and their families, this award means a great deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew Florentino P\u00e9rez and the German president would be there, but I didn\u2019t know my former teammates would be there. Not even Antonio (R\u00fcdiger), who is a very good friend, told me. It was a surprise, and it makes me happy to know that I had good teammates and good people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kroos on receiving it at the Bernab\u00e9u<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they told me the event was going to be at the Bernab\u00e9u, I was very happy, because it seems like the perfect place to receive this Order. It has been my home for 10 years, and I feel it will always be my home. I always enjoy being in this stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kroos on receiving the farewell at the Bernab\u00e9u<\/p>\n
\u201dThe whole day was spectacular. Weeks before, I\u2019d already said I wanted a farewell at the
Bernab\u00e9u, when we had nothing left to play for, and that we should finally be champions, so I could enjoy it. That\u2019s exactly what happened, and from the moment I left home until I returned, I enjoyed it. What they prepared for me, the affection of the fans, my teammates, the president, the coach\u2026 It was special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florentino Perez\u2019s speech for Toni Kroos<\/p>\n
\u201dIt is a great honor to welcome to our stadium the President of the Federal Republic of Germany and the entire delegation from this great country, so dear to us all. Dear President, I would like to express our gratitude for choosing the Bernab\u00e9u to honour one of the greatest legends of our club, our beloved Toni Kroos.<\/p>\n
For us, he is a role model for the values \u200b\u200bthat Real Madrid represents worldwide. In the 10 seasons he has worn our shirt, he has been an example of hard work, sacrifice, perseverance, humility, respect, and solidarity. And he has also contributed to something very important: he has helped us strengthen the bond between our two countries, Germany and Spain.<\/p>\n
We are all especially moved by what this decoration represents, which he is receiving today from the President of his country. The Knight\u2019s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is being awarded today to a great gentleman of sport. Those of us who have enjoyed his understanding of football know that we have had the privilege of witnessing one of the best players of all time.<\/p>\n
Toni Kroos retired at the peak of his career, as a European champion with Real Madrid, in a legendary stadium like Wembley, and representing the German national team in the last European Championship. Dear Toni, we are very proud of you and that you are receiving this recognition from your country in this stadium where you have been so happy. Here you have given us your unforgettable football.<\/p>\n
You have won the hearts of everyone who has seen you play, and I want you to know that as president of Real Madrid, it has been an honor to have you with us during one of the most successful periods in our history. Today you receive the recognition of your country, and you also take with you forever our affection and admiration. Thank you for everything you have given to Real Madrid.<\/p>\n
And thank you also for your charitable work with the Foundation you created, together with your wife Jessica, 10 years ago. We are all grateful for the work of this Foundation with children who are seriously ill. Dear Toni, congratulations on this important award, and you know that Real Madrid is and always will be your home.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos spoke to Real Madrid TV after receiving the Knight\u2019s Cross of the Order…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":598363,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5310],"tags":[2000,299,1824,182351],"class_list":{"0":"post-598362","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-germany","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-germany","11":"tag-real-madrid-cf-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115625019486064240","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/598363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=598362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=598362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}