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Legendry Midfielder Eyes Two Trophies For Retirement

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Toni Kroos, a world champion and five-time Champions League winner, is eyeing two more major trophies after announcing yesterday that he will retire after Euro 2024.
Kroos, who had stepped down from international duty after Germany’s last-16 Euros exit to England in 2021, answered a call from manager Julian Nagelsmann to return to the international setup in February.
This summer’s European Championship, which kicks off on June 14 when Germany face Scotland in Munich, will be the last time the 2014 World Cup winner takes to the field competitively.
At club level, the 34-year-old will play one final match for Real Madrid in front of the club’s home fans, on Saturday against Real Betis, with the La Liga title already in the bag.
Kroos will then face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final on June 1.
In announcing his retirement on the podcast he co-presents with his brother Felix, he said his huge goal was to “win that one at Wembley”.
Victory would mean a sixth Champions League trophy, equalling the record set by Real Madrid winger Paco Gento in 1966, the latest title in a glittering career for the man from the town on the Baltic Sea coast.
Born in Greifswald, then part of East Germany, in 1990, Kroos joined Bayern’s youth setup from Hansa Rostock aged 16 and was promoted to the seniors just one year later.
Kroos became Bayern’s youngest ever professional player when he made his debut aged 17 years and 265 days, laying on an assist for Miroslav Klose just 18 minutes after coming on.
In Bayern’s treble-winning season in 2012-13, Kroos was a cornerstone of a midfield featuring Germany teammate Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez.
The midfielder stayed for another season in the Bavarian capital after coach Pep Guardiola’s arrival but left at the end of the campaign after Bayern reportedly refused to meet his salary demands.
He was close to a move to Manchester United under then manager David Moyes but the deal fell through when the Scotsman was replaced by Louis van Gaal.
The midfielder instead moved to Real Madrid where he won four Champions Leagues, including three in a row from 2016-2018, along with an array of domestic league titles and cups.
Bayern powerbroker Uli Hoeness later admitted his regret at letting Kroos leave, saying “a club needs to make difficult decisions sometimes. That was a hard one, and maybe the wrong one.”
Kroos made his Germany debut in 2010 in a 1-0 loss in a friendly against Argentina and came off the bench regularly in that year’s World Cup run to a third-place finish.
Having quickly established himself in midfield, he played every minute of Germany’s 2014 World Cup triumph in Brazil, scoring two goals in the 7-1 demolition of the host nation in the semi-finals.
Before the 2016 Euros, then Germany coach Joachim Low called Kroos the “decisive player for us”, saying “his teammates trust in him.”
“He always does well and is very economical in how he plays. He does not make many mistakes.”
Germany came up short though, losing 2-0 to France in the semi-finals.
Named German Footballer of the Year in 2018, Kroos signed off from international duty after Germany were eliminated by England at the Euros in 2021.
While his retirement was seen as a part of a necessary generational shift seven years after Brazil, unlike Thomas Mueller, Jerome Boateng or Mats Hummels, Kroos made the decision himself.
His return in early 2024 helped a new-look Germany win friendlies against France and the Netherlands, kick-starting a wave of optimism after several years of disappointment.
Yesterday, Kroos said he “never wanted to have the feeling that the club, the fans, the people around me had to tell me: ‘OK, that’s enough’.”
Kroos added he was now “still in the middle of it. I’m an active footballer with huge goals and having a lot of fun doing it.”

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Tottenham Fight Back To Hold Brighton

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Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.

The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.

However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.

Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.

But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.

Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.

Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)

Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.

The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.

That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.

This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.

“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”

“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”

Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.

They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.

Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.

Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.

In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.

The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.

Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.

Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.

But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.

With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.

Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.

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Zidane’s Son Switches Allegiance To Algeria

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Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.

Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.

The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.

Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.

He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.

Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.

Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.

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Man Utd Beat Chelsea To Ease Pressure 

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Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.

The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.

It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.

The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.

Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.

Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.

Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.

The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.

It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.

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