"Ronaldo transfer made everyone happy"
Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus last year made everyone happy, according to Real Madrid midfielder and former team-mate Toni Kroos.
Madrid lost their all-time leading scorer to Juve nearly 12 months ago in a deal that will cost upwards of €100million and endured a difficult campaign in their first season without him.
The Spanish giants finished a lowly third in LaLiga and fell short in both the Copa del Rey and Champions League after failing to fill the void left by Ronaldo's departure, but Kroos can understand why the five-time Ballon d'Or winner left.
"It would be strange if you didn't miss someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, who has decided so many matches with his goals," he told Bild.
April 21, 2019
"His transfer, however, made everyone happy. He wanted a new experience and Real Madrid earned a lot of money."
Kroos was also tipped to leave the Santiago Bernabeu last year, with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City rumoured to have made their interest known.
But the Germany international, about to enter his sixth season as a Madrid player, insisted he has never come close to joining the English champions.
"It has been written several times in the past," he said. "But I was never really offered the chance to go to Manchester City. Never. I can deny these rumours."
Kroos also reiterated he intends to retire from football at the age of just 33 when the four-year deal he signed in May expires.
"My contract duration was chosen consciously," he said. "Thirty-three would be a good age to hang up the boots. I will have the opportunity at that moment to choose if I want to do something else."