The Los Blancos star admits that the club have missed the Portuguese forward this year but believes his exit ultimately benefited all involved
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Real Madrid to Juventus outcome was a positive result for all parties, insists former team-mate Toni Kroos.
Four-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo brought the curtain down on a lengthy and successful tenure with the Liga outfit after helping them to their third consecutive Champions League title in 2018.
He made the subsequent switch to Serie A seeking a new challenge and was named the competition’s Player of the Year for his efforts in taking them to another Scudetto.
Madrid have subsequently suffered in the absence of both Ronaldo and former manager Zinedine Zidane, though the latter has since returned to the club.
They finished third domestically and failed to defend their European title, crashing out in the last 16, as well as missing out on success in the Copa del Rey.
Speaking to SportBild , Kroos admitted that it was not surprising that the club has suffered since the Portuguese’s departure, but the Germany international added that there were benefits to all parties concerned with the lucrative deal.
“It would be strange if you didn’t miss someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, who has decided so many matches with his goals,” the 2014 World Cup winner stated.
“His transfer, however, made everyone happy. He wanted a new experience and Real Madrid earned a lot of money.”
Elsewhere, Kroos stated that he knew Bayern Munich were making a mistake when they sold him to Madrid and that he still intends to retire when he turns 33 at the end of his current deal at Santiago Bernabeu.
He left the Bavarian outfit in 2014, having completed an international treble in 2012-13 with the Bundesliga title, the DFB-Pokal and the Champions League, among other honours he can count in his personal trophy cabinet.
Los Blancos have also confirmed the details of their pre-season schedule , which kicks off with a trip to the USA to take part in the 2019 International Champions Cup.
They will face Bayern, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid in Texas, Maryland and New Jersey before returning to Europe for the 2019 Audi Cup alongside the German club, Tottenham and Fenerbahce.
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