Toni Kroos, who recently retired from football, has made a revelation that he was very close to joining Manchester United after his time at Bayern Munich.
During an episode of the podcast ‘Einfach mal luppen,’ which he co-hosts with his brother Felix, Kroos shared the story of how his move to the Red Devils fell apart.
The transfer did not happen because of a sudden managerial change at Old Trafford, which altered the course of his career.
What really happened?
According to Kroos, everything was set for him to sign with Manchester United before he ended up at Real Madrid. He had already agreed on the deal when David Moyes was still in charge of the team.
“Before signing for Real Madrid in 2014, I had an agreement with Manchester United,” said the former midfielder as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
However, the situation took a sharp turn when Moyes was sacked, causing the deal to collapse. At that point, Louis van Gaal took over as manager, and both parties decided not to move forward with the transfer.
“They sacked David Moyes, who I was still sitting with on my sofa in Munich. It was very nice for him to be sitting in our house with his wife. Then they hired Van Gaal and we both politely declined,” he added.
A legend at Real Madrid
As a result of this twist, Kroos signed with Real Madrid instead, a decision that would shape his career for the next decade.
At Madrid, Kroos went on to establish himself as a true legend, playing more than 400 matches for the club and becoming a key figure in the midfield.
His time in the Spanish capital was filled with silverware, as he helped the team secure an incredible 23 trophies, including five Champions League titles.
Had Moyes not been dismissed by Manchester United, the story of Kroos’ career could have been vastly different. Instead, he became one of the most celebrated players in Real Madrid’s modern history, ending his career on a high note.
