Regretting his loss to Spain in the last eight of Germany's Europa League, Toni Kroos has decided to hang up his boots and end his career as a legendary midfielder of his generation. Another German veteran, Thomas Mü, ller also said in an interview that this could be the last game for their national team. German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, another 38 years old, looking back, unknowingly, we are no longer the teenagers at that time.
In the last World War, Müller and Neuer were already the only two winners in 2014. This time, in Europe, Kroos rejoined the national team, bringing together again the German team that took the Hercules Cup ten years ago. But while Germany showed the swagger to win the title in both the group stage and the round of 16, they had no choice but to sign up for the campaign to recruit. Meeting Spain in the quarter-finals, the landlord nation still lost after 120 minutes of fighting, which made the last game of Kroos' career end in regret.
Talking to a friend after the game, she asked me if I switched to M. Müller at the end of the game so as not to have any regrets, and I laughed and replied that I was still behind at that point, and that it was a gamble scheduling for an all-out offense. Also said that Müller was old but he was still a great runner without the ball, but she replied that yes, just couldn't run. I said he's injured and old or he runs fast.
At this point, I suddenly remembered that the striker who won the World Golden Boot award right out of the gate, the striker who was once expected to take over from Klose and break Klose's world goal scoring record, had long since ceased to be the teenager I remembered.
After the Spain game, he shed manly tears, perhaps not only tears of regret for his national team career, but also tears shed by the god of soccer to see the passing of an era.
When you think about it, Müller's decline in the team has been foreshadowed, even at Bayern, where he wasn't necessarily the first. In the recently concluded Champions League, the second leg of the semi-final against Real Madrid came at the end. When he needed to hold on for a goal, he was replaced as the commander of the midfield dispatches.
What's more, his only start in the group stage was against Scotland and the team was 4 years old. : 0 up, Musiala was only substituted in the 74th minute. For Spain, also in the 80th minute, he needed to keep all the human offense to get a chance to play. Germany played five games, another extended. He only played 56 minutes. In this game, he not only had one assist, but only a 72% pass success rate and one shot on goal.
It's not even just a national team career - Müller's contract with Bayern ends in 2025, so which jersey will he wear after next June? Or even, will he remain on the soccer pitch then? That's the question mark.
If Kroos had announced he was hanging up his boots, it would have been like a thunderbolt on a flat earth, shocking how he chose to retire while he could still play. Then Müller is like time keeps passing, even if you never realize it. When you do realize it, you realize that the heroes of your heart are old and their years are no more.
The same goes for Neuer, who is leading the way in what is now mandatory for all the new generation of keepers: the 'strike'. Goalies like Buffon used to actually have a lot of great attacking scenes, but it was really the goalies who made the world realize that goalies could leave the box frequently and stop the opponent's attack as quickly as possible. It turns out that goalies can also be part of the offensive organization, i.e. the netminder.
He, along with Müller, when he first came out, was recognized as a sure future success, and then it really was. However, his footwork and judgment may still be relatively sharp, but his footwork and reflexes aren't as fast as they used to be. Even the occasional judgment on the ball can be wrong. In the second leg of this Champions League semi-final, Real Madrid's equalizer was caught up by Joselu precisely because Neuer misjudged the ball's bounce and offload. Even his proud attacking efforts occasionally go wrong.
While Neuer has said that he still wouldn't consider retiring from the Nationals, he might wait a long time, even six months, before doing so. But you know, it's not long until he takes off his Nationals shirt, or even until he takes off his gloves and leaves the field. Even on his recent visit, he was relieved to have talked to Schweinsteiger at one point. If given the chance, he would consider the U.S. to continue his career.
