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Real Madrid CF 2014-15 squad numbers – Toni Kroos given No. 8 shirt

Toni Kroos will wear the No. 8 shirt for Real Madrid this season.

Kroos recently completed a €25million move to Real from Bayern Munich, but has admitted that he only considered a move to the Bernabeu after talks over a new deal with Pep Guardiola’s side collapsed. The Germany international, who had initially been keen to extend his stay with Bayern, told the DFB’s official website: “I first started thinking about a transfer when talks with Bayern were unsuccessful. Bayern were always my priority and I didn’t talk to anybody else. “I then decided to go for a new challenge after we failed to reach an agreement with Bayern and a number of clubs showed an interest in signing me. Winning the World Cup settled it.” He continued: “I didn’t leave Bayern because I didn’t feel valued. I played for one of the biggest clubs in the world and was a starter under several coaches. “I always played in the major competitions and Bayern always looked after me. [Coach] Pep Guardiola and [sporting director] Matthias Sammer were important to me and the fans always supported me as well. “But Real Madrid are a huge challenge. People all over the world know Madrid. “Thousands of people attended my presentation at the Santiago Bernabeu and club president Florentino Perez was interrupted a number of times by cheering fans. I have never seen anything like it. “This club is just the right step for me.”

Ian goes back to the very early days of CrunchSports, having been tirelessly covering soccer for us for over 10 years.

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