Unfortunately for Iscor, his plea fell on deaf ears. Kroon confirmed the news that all Real Madrid fans had been dreading in May, when he revealed that he would be retiring from football after Euro 2024.
“I am happy and proud that, in my mind, I found the right timing for my decision and that I could choose it on my own,” he explained. “My ambition was always to finish my career at the peak of my performance level.”
He’s done exactly that, with Korus now bringing the curtain down on his career after one of his finest seasons, albeit one that ended with heartbreak at Euro 2024 as hosts Germany lost to Spain in the quarter-finals.
Kroon was always a curious case in that he wasn’t always given the credit he deserved. He certainly felt underappreciated at Bayern Munich, which is why he decided to leave the club in the summer of 2014 after the Bavarians rather ridiculously refused to pay him the same amount of money as Mario Goetz. It was a disastrous decision and one the fans have never got over.
Kroon was given a hostile reception on his final appearance at the Allianz Arena in May. He responded by splitting open their defence with a stunning pass that Vinicius Jr slotted home.
Spare a thought, too, for Manchester United fans. After meeting with David Moyes, Kroon agreed to move to Old Trafford, only for the transfer to collapse after the Scot’s shock sacking before the end of the 2013-14 campaign, as his replacement, Louis van Gala, wasn’t keen on Kroon.
However, with the midfielder still trying to figure out his next move as Germany’s World Cup campaign got under way in Brazil, Kroon received a call from Carlo Ancelotti that paved the way for a move to Real Madrid.
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