Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos became the player with the most ever World Club Cup medals to his name on Saturday night, starting in their 5-3 win over Al Hilal. Yet the talk afterwards was once again of his potential retirement.
The German midfielder, already four-and-a-half years retired from international duty, has left it out in the open that he might retire at the end of the season. With little desire to move on from Real Madrid, if he cannot agree to stay on, then he will quit the game at the age of 33.
Out of contract at the end of the year, Real Madrid have a policy of only offering one-year deals to those over the age of 30, but are looking to extend Kroos. The midfielder wants assurances before he does so though.
As per Todofichajes, Kroos is keen to know whether manager Carlo Ancelotti will also be staying next season before he commits. Ancelotti has a contract until 2024, and despite links to the Brazil job, has reiterated his desire to stay. The issue may come if Real Madrid collapse in the league, Copa del Rey and Champions League, which might inspire Florentino Perez to make a change.
This tallies with previous reports that Kroos wants guarantees that he will continue to be a key part of the team next season. If it were to be a different manager, then there would obviously be no way of establishing that at this stage.
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