Toni Kroos has confirmed that he will return to the Santiago Bernabeu for the upcoming match between Real Madrid Legends and Borussia Dortmund Legends. The two sides are set to face off in the 12th edition of the Corazón Classic Match, set for June 7, 2025.
Kroos’ last match for Real Madrid was the 2024 UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, which ended in a 2-0 victory for Los Blancos. After the match, the midfielder represented Germany at the Euros before calling time on his professional career.
His last home game for Real Madrid was a LaLiga match against Real Betis on May 25, 2024. The midfielder will once again step onto the pitch at the Spanish capital, 378 days after his last game there.
Confirming the return, Kroos took to his Instagram and posted a graphic of the abovementioned match and captioned it with:
Apart from Toni Kroos, three other Los Blancos players who recently retired will also feature in the match—Iker Casillas, Pepe, and Marcelo. More legends from the club’s illustrious history will be revealed soon.
The Real Madrid Foundation, which organizes the annual Corazon Classic Match, presented the 12th edition of the event on March 19, 2025. The proceeds from the match will go to social projects supported by the Spanish club’s Foundation.
Toni Kroos joined Real Madrid from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014 for a reported fee of €25 million on a six-year deal. His debut match was a memorable one, as he claimed his first trophy at the club, with Los Blancos defeating Spanish rivals Sevilla (2-0) in the 2014 UEFA Super Cup.
He made his LaLiga debut against Cordoba on August 24, 2014, and made his first goal contribution for the club as Real Madrid won 2-0. In November, he scored his first goal for Madrid in a 5-1 win over Rayo Vallecano at home. The following month, he helped the team win the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, leading the tournament in assists. He was included in the FIFA FIFPRO World 11 and the UEFA Team of the Year.
In Kroos’ first season in the Spanish capital, he formed a midfield trio with James Rodriguez and Luka Modric. In the following season, the German international continued to be a key player despite the fact that Los Blancos changed managers. He played an integral role in the Madrid team that won the 2015-16 UCL.
At the end of the 2016-17 season, he became the most used player under then-manager Zinedine Zidane. He would go on to lift other trophies in his subsequent seasons at the club.
Altogether, Toni Kroos won 23 titles with Madrid. In his ten years at the club, he scored 28 goals and provided 99 assists in 465 appearances across competitions.
An ardent Chelsea fan, Ezekiel’s journey as a football fan began in his childhood, witnessing Ronaldinho dazzle with his skills. His interest in the beautiful game deepened after Nigeria were knocked out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup; he was impressed with the Super Eagles’ fighting spirit in their 2-2 Group B draw against South Korea. Some other World Cup matches which have left a deep impact on him were Belgium’s incredible comeback against Japan in the round of 16 of the 2018 version and the 2022 final.
Lionel Messi is the one true GOAT for Ezekiel and he also follows the Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League owing to him and Cristiano Ronaldo. When not writing, he spends his free time deepening his SEO knowledge and watching skits.
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