Kroos: U-17 World Cup motivated me to reach the highest level - FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP
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| FIFA.com |
Ask the inhabitants of planet football to draw up a list of the top five midfielders in the world at the moment, and you can be sure Toni Kroos will feature on it. A champion with Germany at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, Kroos is a player who combines talent, vision and a will to win, qualities that have made him an integral part of his national team and his club side Real Madrid and which also earned him a slot in the 2014 FIFA/FIFPro World XI.
Like any other star of the world game, Kroos has chalked up many a milestone in his career, one of them being the FIFA U-17 World Cup Korea 2007. “It was one of the most important events in my development as a football player,” the man himself told the Local Organising Committee of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015, a tournament that may well unearth the new Toni Kroos.
Though his side finished third at Korea 2007, the German midfielder was awarded the adidas Golden Ball as its most outstanding player. Eight years on, he had this to say about the accolade: “I was surprised by it. You play the game to win things with your team, not as an individual.
“I knew I’d had a good tournament, but I was overwhelmed when I collected the award. I was so happy to pick up a medal in Korea and the individual trophy was just the result of what that team achieved.”
"It was one of the most important events in my development as a football player."
Germany FIFA World Cup winner Toni Kroos on the FIFA U-17 World Cup
Kroos’ Korea 2007 record of five goals and five assists reflects both his talent and his ability to rise to the big occasion, as he explained: “I’ve been used to high expectations ever since I started playing football. I was at Bayern Munich at the time and I’d already taken part in two European championships with the national team.
“I didn’t listen much to what other people said and I focused on my objectives with the team. You have to work hard and believe in yourself, which is the most important thing.”
Confidence and commitment vital
While confidence and commitment are the foundation of improved performance in the game, Kroos’ experience at Korea 2007 shows that they are even more vital at an age at which many young players fail to take the next step up
“You’re in a kind of vacuum at that stage of your career: you’re still a young player but you’re also just a few steps away from the professional ranks,” he said. “That’s a challenge, and it makes you think that if you work hard you can make the first team the following season.
“And obviously, a U-17 World Cup is a special event where you’re up against the best players in the world in your age group, where coaches, players, the media and football pundits are all watching what you’re doing. It gives you the motivation to kick on and reach the highest level.”
Kroos had already played a few friendlies with the Bayern first team – which was coached by Ottmar Hitzfeld at the time – before travelling out to Korea Republic. The world finals were a crucial phase in his career development, however, and within a mere 18 days of helping Germany win bronze, he made his Bundesliga debut: a 5-0 defeat of Energie Cottbus on 26 September 2007, a game in which he served up two assists.
After serving a long apprenticeship, Kroos made his breakthrough on loan with Bayer Leverkusen during the 2009/10 season, the springboard for what has been a stellar career to date and in which he has won German and European titles with Bayern Munich and achieved glory at Brazil 2014.
Was Korea 2007 the moment, then, when he started believing he could make his way in the game?
“I’ve always had faith,” he said with a smile. “I think it showed coaches and fans that I’m a player worth keeping in mind. I knew by that stage that I had to work hard to convince coaches that they should work with me and take me to a higher level.”