Occasionally, DFB.de highlights a Germany international who is set up for a special weekend. This time: Toni Kroos, as the Real Madrid midfielder looks to take on FC Barcelona on Saturday evening in the Spanish Primera Division. Whether or not the World Champion can participate in his fourth Clásico is uncertain at this point, as the 26-year-old was forced to withdraw from the final training session prior to the game.
The 264th Clásico will see Johan Cruyff, who sadly passed away last Thursday at the age of 68 years, take centre stage. Cruyff, himself a master when it comes to perfection on the ball, was an admirer of Kroos and his style of play.
Cruyff on Kroos: “The lad is doing everything well”
The Dutch Football idol was particularly impressed by Kroos during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. “They are all outstanding football players,” Cruyff wrote before adding that the midfielder caught his eye. “The lad is doing everything well. His control of the ball is nearly perfect. His passes always have the right pace and it’s beautiful to watch.” Cruyff suggested that the World Cup winner should even have won the 2014 Ballon d’Or instead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Since then, Kroos has joined Ronaldo at Real Madrid and on Saturday evening they visit FC Barcelona, whose squad includes Kroos’ international colleague Marc-André ter Stegen. Cruyff became a legend at Barca, both through his playing days and as a coach. He is often stated as the architect of the Catalan side’s attacking style of play.
In remembrance of Johan Cruyff
Prior to kick-off, roughly 90,000 spectators will honour Cruyff with a choreography while the video screen will display highlights from his life and career. His heirs, Barca stars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez will wear shirts with “Gràcias Johan” imprinted on them. Toni Kroos has already reacted to the sad news of the passing away of the football legend: “Heaven has a new playmaker. Rest in Peace, football genius Johan Cruyff.”
Kroos’ personal record in this fixture currently. His first game against Barcelona ended in a 3-1 victory back in October 2014, but two defeats followed, including a painful 4-0 loss at home. Now Kroos heads for Barcelona with fresh confidence after scoring goals against both England and Italy for
Die Mannschaft during the international break. The last time Kroos had scored in two consecutive games before this week was in November 2012, whilst he was still playing for Bundesliga record champions FC Bayern München.
Last chance to stop Barca?
Kroos has scored just one league goal this season, but his other stats have impressed: He’s made 26 appearances for Real this season, all in the starting line-up. 93.8 percent of his passes reach a team mate, a total of 1,906. No other player in Spain passes as accurately. His precision has yielded eight assists, with one more coming from seven Champions League appearances.
Real Madrid are ten points behind their arch rivals in the standings, with just eight games left to play. Atletico Madrid are also still one point ahead of Real, despite their resurgence under Zinedine Zidane. A victory in Barcelona could set them up for a late charge in the league…
created by mmc/fr
Occasionally, DFB.de highlights a Germany international who is set up for a special weekend. This time: Toni Kroos, as the Real Madrid midfielder looks to take on FC Barcelona on Saturday evening in the Spanish Primera Division. Whether or not the World Champion can participate in his fourth Clásico is uncertain at this point, as the 26-year-old was forced to withdraw from the final training session prior to the game.
The 264th Clásico will see Johan Cruyff, who sadly passed away last Thursday at the age of 68 years, take centre stage. Cruyff, himself a master when it comes to perfection on the ball, was an admirer of Kroos and his style of play.
Cruyff on Kroos: “The lad is doing everything well”
The Dutch Football idol was particularly impressed by Kroos during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. “They are all outstanding football players,” Cruyff wrote before adding that the midfielder caught his eye. “The lad is doing everything well. His control of the ball is nearly perfect. His passes always have the right pace and it’s beautiful to watch.” Cruyff suggested that the World Cup winner should even have won the 2014 Ballon d’Or instead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Since then, Kroos has joined Ronaldo at Real Madrid and on Saturday evening they visit FC Barcelona, whose squad includes Kroos’ international colleague Marc-André ter Stegen. Cruyff became a legend at Barca, both through his playing days and as a coach. He is often stated as the architect of the Catalan side’s attacking style of play.
In remembrance of Johan Cruyff
Prior to kick-off, roughly 90,000 spectators will honour Cruyff with a choreography while the video screen will display highlights from his life and career. His heirs, Barca stars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez will wear shirts with “Gràcias Johan” imprinted on them. Toni Kroos has already reacted to the sad news of the passing away of the football legend: “Heaven has a new playmaker. Rest in Peace, football genius Johan Cruyff.”
Kroos’ personal record in this fixture currently. His first game against Barcelona ended in a 3-1 victory back in October 2014, but two defeats followed, including a painful 4-0 loss at home. Now Kroos heads for Barcelona with fresh confidence after scoring goals against both England and Italy for
Die Mannschaft during the international break. The last time Kroos had scored in two consecutive games before this week was in November 2012, whilst he was still playing for Bundesliga record champions FC Bayern München.
Last chance to stop Barca?
Kroos has scored just one league goal this season, but his other stats have impressed: He’s made 26 appearances for Real this season, all in the starting line-up. 93.8 percent of his passes reach a team mate, a total of 1,906. No other player in Spain passes as accurately. His precision has yielded eight assists, with one more coming from seven Champions League appearances.
Real Madrid are ten points behind their arch rivals in the standings, with just eight games left to play. Atletico Madrid are also still one point ahead of Real, despite their resurgence under Zinedine Zidane. A victory in Barcelona could set them up for a late charge in the league…
