German national team coach Julian Nagelsmann 36 was also surprised by Toni Kroos 34, who returned after a three-year absence.
Cross led Germany to a 2-0 victory with one assist in the March A-match warm-up match against Germany at Grupama Stadium in Lyon, France, on the 24th.
Cross, who has several nicknames such as “Professor” and “Passmaster,” returned to the A-match for the first time in about three years since June 2021. He retired from the German national team after failing to reach the round of 16 at Euro 2020 and focused on his team Real Madrid, but he wore the national team uniform again ahead of Euro 2024.
With wide vision, sharp kick and accurate pass, he still maintained his perspective. Even at 34, he showed off why he is called a textbook for a midfielder in the 21st century.
Seven seconds into the game, he helped Florian Birtz score the first goal with a fantastic forward pass. Cross poked a pass to Birtz near the center line. Birtz, who received a pass from Cross, shook the net with a bold mid-range shot.
In response, fans were surprised by comparing them to “the best students Birtz who received A+ for the assignment given by the professor Cross.”
In the 4-2-3-1 formation, Kroos appeared as a third-line midfielder to coordinate offense and defense. He played almost full time until he was replaced at 45 minutes in the second half, recording the most successful passes 121 times among the players of the two teams. The success rate of passes amounted to 95 percent 121/128. In addition, Kroos displayed stellar performance in offense and defense, including one assist, one opportunity window, three successful tackles, one interception, nine recoveries and six star-contested wins. Football statistics magazine Foot Mob gave Kroos the highest score 8.7 and named him the man of the match.
According to Britain’s Tribuna, Nagelsmann said after the game about Cross’ performance, “To be honest, it’s incredible.”
“We all know that not only does a cross possess a ball, but the cross that comes out when he holds the ball is excellent. He can also compete with the ball,” he said repeatedly.
He highly appreciated not only his skills but also his outstanding personality. Nagelsmann said, “He is a very ordinary person and he is well integrated into the team. There is nothing more I want. I love it.” 토토사이트 추천