"In the conversation for the best of the best" - Owen Hargreaves says Real Madrid superstar is the 'heartbeat' of the club

Owen Hargreaves lauded Real Madrid superstar Toni Kroos ahead of their UEFA Champions League second-leg Round-of-16 match against RB Leipzig on Wednesday (March 6).

Kroos, 34, was nearing free agency at the end of last season and there were rumors that he could hang up his boots. However, he stayed at the Santiago Bernabeu, penning a new one-year deal.

Since then, the Germany international has seen a slight reduction in playing time, considering he is competing with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga, among others. Regardless, he has made 36 appearances across competitions this term, with 25 of them being starts.

Kroos has scored once and belted out seven assists during that time. Before the second leg against Leipzig, Hargreaves said (via @MadridXtra on X):

"Toni Kroos is in the conversation for the best of the best. He is the heartbeat of Real Madrid."

Kroos had an impressive game against the German outfit, even though the team as a whole were arguably subpar. He hit a curling right-footed shot from the edge of the box in the 60th minute but Peter Gulacsi did very well to get a hand on it.

Kroos then seized control of the ball deep into his own half and set Jude Bellingham on his way with a simple pass. The England international carried the ball into Leipzig's final third before assisting Vinicius Jr's 65th-minute goal to make it 1-0.

Willi Orban equalized three minutes later but the 14-time UEFA Champions League winners won 2-1 on aggregate.

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Carlo Ancelotti says Real Madrid were 'weak' against RB Leipzig

Real Madrid were heavy favorites to advance to the quarterfinals when they were drawn alongside RB Leipzig.

Many believed the tie was already over considering they held a 1-0 advantage going into the second leg at home. But the German outfit did well to keep themselves in the game, keeping 46% of the ball on hostile territory and attempting 20 shots.

Their xG (expected goals) of 1.13 was also better than Real Madrid's 0.69 from 11 shots. Those at the Bernabeu also made their feelings known, with whistles and jeers heard at the half-time whistle.

After the game, Carlo Ancelotti said, via the aforementioned source:

"We played a weak game. Criticism when it is deserved, you have to accept. Today it is deserved. The whistles are deserved."

The draws for the quarterfinals and the last four will be held on March 15.