Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos talked to UEFA.com about the upcoming tie against his former club, Bayern Munich. Los Blancos will be facing the German side in the first leg of the Champions League Semifinals this Wednesday.
“Of course it’s special when you play against a team you represented for six or seven years. I’ll see a lot of players I used to play with, or who I still play with in the national team,” said Kroos.
Madrid will be focusing all their efforts in this Champions League title as it represents their only chance of winning any silverware this season.
“This competition is the hardest to win. Maybe that unleashes special powers in us. Emotions always play a part, especially on Champions League nights at the Bernabéu. You can see that in our performances,” explained the midfielder.
“A lot of the players have played in plenty of big games and we can stay calm in difficult situations because we know we can beat everybody. Even when we are not winning, we can change a game. We’ve experienced lots of situations, so we don’t get anxious,” he added.
Kroos signed for Real Madrid in the summer of 2014, here’s why:
“It was the right time to try something new. I think there’s no bigger challenge than going to another country at a young age and also moving to one of the world’s biggest clubs. Right from the first day everything has worked out well. The biggest challenge is to impose yourself. Fortunately I managed to do that. I’ve been here for almost four seasons and have won some silverware, which is always recognition of your good individual and collective performances. I’m very glad I took that step,” concluded Kroos.