Toni Kroos explains why Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala cannot be compared with Jude Bellingham

Retiring Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has explained why his club teammate Jude Bellingham cannot be compared with his international teammates Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.

Kroos played a lone season with Bellingham at the Santiago Bernabeu after the Englishman had arrived in the summer of 2023 from Borussia Dortmund. The duo won three titles together, including La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

Meanwhile, Kroos is set to appear with Wirtz and Musiala for Germany at the upcoming Euro 2024, in what's going to be his final tournament for club and country before retirement.

Shedding light on how Bellingham is different from Musiala and Wirtz, Kroos explained (via Madrid Xtra via Mia San Mia):

“Musiala & Wirtz comparisons with Jude Bellingham? I wouldn’t compare either of them to Jude. They are different players. They are difficult to tackle for the opponent & don’t have the same physical strength as Jude.”

Kroos and Co. begin their campaign against Scotland in their Group A and tournament opener in Munich on Friday (June 14). Hungary and Switzerland are the other teams in their group.

Kroos has come out of international retirement for a final swansong with his country, looking to win their first major title since their 2014 FIFA World Cup triumph.

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How Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham fared together at Real Madrid

Toni Kroos (left) and Jude Bellingham

Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham - as mentioned earlier - have played together for a season at Real Madrid. The duo played together in 38 games across competitions, recording two joint goal contributions.

The first came in a 3-1 win at Almeria and the second in a 5-0 home win over Alaves. Both goals came in Los Blancos' triumphant La Liga campaign, with both assisted by Kroos.

Both stars are next in action at the upcoming European Championship in Germany, with Bellingham's England looking to go one better than they did last time around. Gareth Southgate's side lost to Italy on penalties in the Euro 2020 final at the Wembley three years ago.