‘A top player’ – Toni Kroos welcomes Jude Bellingham’s arrival at Real Madrid but issues Eden Hazard warning
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Updated 14/06/2023 at 16:18 GMT+1
Toni Kroos spoke about the arrival of Jude Bellingham on his podcast, but insists the midfielder has a lot to live up to given the huge fee involved. The 19-year-old's transfer to Real Madrid was announced on Wednesday for €103 million (£88m) that could potentially rise up to €133.9m (£114m) with add-ons. Kroos also gave his take on Karim Benzema leaving to join Saudi side Al-Ittihad.
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Toni Kroos has welcomed the arrival of Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid, but stressed the midfielder will have a point to prove with his hefty price tag of €103 million (£88m).
Bellingham’s move from Borussia Dortmund was confirmed on Wednesday, and the Germany international has been impressed by the 19-year-old’s progress to date.
However, the 2014 World Cup winner also alluded to Eden Hazard’s ill-fated four years at the Bernabeu after he made a big-money move from Chelsea in 2019 and struggled to impress in Madrid.
"For his age, he [Bellingham] is very advanced - a top player that many teams wanted,” said Kroos on his podcast, Einfach mal Luppen via news agency SID.
“If Real Madrid puts down that kind of money, and I have a lot of confidence in that, it's a very good transfer.
"I haven't seen many Dortmund games this season. That's why I can't make a final assessment in principle.
"I've seen clips of him playing in the Champions League. There he has mostly played very, very well. And if he does the same here, it's a good transfer. If not, then not.
"We now also had someone who came for a lot of money and virtually let his career rest. There was also a lot of money there, and I think everyone would say in retrospect that it wasn't such a good transfer. But let's start from the positive side. If it's a done deal now, then welcome to Madrid."
Kroos, 33, also paid tribute to Karim Benzema, who ended a glittering 14-year spell at the club to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad.
"There have been few strikers in the last 15 years who could handle the ball like that. It was a great pleasure to play with him.
“I think he came to Real when he was 21. He gave so much to the club with the important goals he scored, and last season was just the cherry on the cake.
“It was definitely a great pleasure to play with him. There's no question about that. To watch a player like that for so many years was a joy.”
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Kroos admitted he was surprised by Benzema’s decision to leave the Bernabeu and expected the Frenchman to retire in the Spanish capital.
There was a hastily arranged goodbye for the France international, with the news of his exit confirmed just hours before Real Madrid’s final match of the season against Athletic Club.
"I thought that he was going to end his career in Madrid. I can understand that it then happened so quickly. I think it was important for him to say goodbye to the Bernabeu.
"You could generally tell that it was short notice. Otherwise, more would have been prepared for his farewell. With more preparation time, more would have happened."
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