Hoeneß makes a U-turn on Kroos – this is how the Real star reacts

First he was critical, now he thinks it’s a good thing. Bayern’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß has revised his stance on Toni Kroos‘ comeback in the German national team.

After initially expressing scepticism about Kroos‘ return, Hoeneß now sounds completely different after his return to the home European Championship was confirmed. „I welcome that, because we don’t have so many personalities to choose from at the moment. The return of a very experienced, very successful player is a good decision,“ explained Hoeneß on the sidelines of the opening of the special exhibition for Sepp Maier at the museum in the Allianz Arena.

Just a few months ago, Hoeneß described a possible Kroos return as a „Titanic signal“ for the German national team.

Real star Toni Kroos took Hoeneß‘ unexpected change of opinion in his stride. During a DFB press conference, he commented: „I don’t base my decisions on who says what. For me, the people involved here are important.“ He added that it is generally more positive when more people welcome a decision than reject it.

The discussion about Kroos‘ role in the German squad is nothing new. Hoeneß has criticised the 2014 world champion for his style of play in the past, dubbing him „cross-passing Toni“. The Bayern veteran’s remarks led to a public dispute in which Kroos countered with sarcastic comments.

Kroos „just the right man at that moment“

Despite the past, Hoeneß now sees an important role for Kroos in the young team that Julian Nagelsmann is building for the European Championship. „In such an environment, an experienced player like Toni Kroos is perhaps the right man for the job right now,“ said Hoeneß.

Kroos‘ return to the national team after an absence of almost three years was the wish of national coach Nagelsmann. The midfielder, who had actually ended his international career after the 2021 European Championship, is now expected to help the young team with his experience and intelligence.