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.”
