LaLiga's pass master

The Germany midfielder is a key part of Julen Lopetegui's side at the Bernabeu, having been equally as important to Zinedine Zidane, Rafa Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti.

Kroos' wealth of attributes make him an incredibly valuable squad member, with his passing by far his most consistent and impressive quality.

Unsurprisingly, Kroos leads the passing stats for the division having completed 322 so far, putting him well out in front of Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Ramos who sit second and third with 264 and 245 respectively.

In fact, Real Madrid aren't short of players in the top 10, with Dani Carvajal (sixth with 220) and Marcelo (eighth with 212) also sneaking in.

Those stats perhaps go to show the tactical tweaks that have taken place since Lopetegui's arrival, with patience and invention favoured over directness and counter-attacking. Interestingly, the Spanish national team has gone in completely the other direction since Lopetegui left in unceremonious circumstances before the World Cup. 

Far from being just an individual accomplishment, the stats also attest that no team completes more passes, with Madrid having managed 2,165 so far this season, far ahead of Barcelona (1,898) and Real Betis (1,552) in second and third respectively.

Many suggest that completed pass is actually a misleading stat and that pass completion percentage should be considered instead. Kroos won't be too upset if that is indeed the case, with the German having completed his 322 passes from 333 attempts, givign him a completion rate of 96.7%.