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Midfielder Toni Kroos has decided to quit international football after Germany's Round of 16 exit at the hands of England at Euro 2020.
Toni Kroos announced the decision on social media on Friday. In an Instagram post, the 31-year-old revealed that Euro 2020 was his last major tournament despite the 2022 World Cup close by. Kroos' post reads:
"I have played for Germany 106 times. There won't be another one. I would have loved, and I gave it my all once again, to end up with 109 caps and that one big title, the European Championship title, would have come at the end. I had already made the decision to retire after this tournament. It had been clear to me for some time that I wouldn't be available for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar."
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Toni Kroos has also expressed his desire to focus on his club career with Real Madrid:
"Above all, I want to concentrate fully on my goals with Real Madrid over the next few years. From now on, I'll be consciously allowing myself breaks that I haven't had as a national player for eleven years. And I also want to be more of a husband and dad to my wife and three children."
Since making his national team debut in 2010, Toni Kroos has gone on to earn 106 caps for Germany, scoring 17 goals along the way. Despite a poor showing at Euro 2020, the current Real Madrid man will always be remembered for his heroic performances in Germany's 2014 World Cup winning campaign.
Also Read: Euro 2020: Paul Merson’s predictions for the quarterfinal fixtures
Euro 2020 signals the end of Joachim Low's time as Germany manager
Toni Kroos is not the only German retiring after Euro 2020. Manager Joachim Löw also managed Germany for one final time. He decided to quit Die Mannschaft even before the start of Euro 2020. The 61-year-old will be replaced by Bayern Munich's treble-winning manager Hansi Flick.
Germany might be seeing a mass retirement. Veterans Thomas Müller and Mats Hummels are also likely to call it a day on their international careers.
Germany had a disappointing Euro 2020 campaign. Despite beating Portugal in the group stage, Die Mannschaft were poor against the likes of France and Hungary before losing the Round of 16 clash against rivals England at Wembley Stadium.
