After the defeat of Germany from England, Toni Kross on Friday stated that he was retiring from international football and won’t be playing for Germany anymore.
"I have played 106 times for Germany. There will not be another time," he tweeted on his account. The 31-year-old Madrid referred to the European championships and added, "I had already made the decision to retire after this tournament for some time,"
"It had been clear to me for a while that I will not be available for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar." Kroos told that he has planned that in the next years he would place his "full concentration" on Real Madrid.
"I would also like to be there more as husband and father for my wife and children It has been a huge honour to have been able to wear this shirt for such a long time," he wrote.
His main focus now lies in his club career with Real Madrid and spending time with his family.
He also thanked his fans as well as critics. "I always did it with pride and passion. Thank you to all the fans and supporters that helped carry me with their applause and cheering, but also to those critics who gave me extra motivation,” he said.
He held special gratitude for the national coach, Joachim Loew who bowed out on Tuesday following 15 years in the job which was, "Finally, I want to sincerely thank Jogi [Joachim] Low. He made me a Germany international and a World Cup winner. He put his faith in me, and we have written a long success story together."
He earned 106 caps for his country, contributing 17 goals and 19 assists but was still determined to do more which can be clearly seen from his tweet which says, "I was hoping that I could end up with 109 caps and one more major title, the European Championship, and gave my all to try and make that happen. I had long decided that this tournament would be my last."
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The 31-year-old Germany Midfielder would not play the World Cup in Qatar next year. In 2010, Loew first chose Kroos for a friendly match against Argentina. In South Africa, he played some part in the same year's World Cup campaign when the Germans finished third.
After four years, he was the main component who played every minute of every game and scoring double in the 7-1 semi-final destruction of hosts Brazil, as Loew's lifted the World Cup trophy.