“It is often said that now is the right time”
Kroos often feels annoyed with his teammate
11/19/2025 – 12:00Reading time: 2 minutes
Toni Kroos ended his career last year. The former national team player has now spoken out about his former colleague whose behavior is not only seen as critical by Kroos.
Toni Kroos celebrates great success at Real Madrid with Vinicius Junior. During their time together between 2018 and 2024, they became champions of Spain three times and won the Champions League twice.
However, there are several things that bother Kroos regarding the Brazilian player’s often hysterical behavior. This was revealed by the 35 year old player on the sidelines of the Icon League in Düsseldorf.
“At that time I often told him that now is the right time, because you will feel that the whole team will be harmed at some point because of their behavior. At a certain point you can understand when it is annoying – whether it is the opponent, the referee or the opposing crowd,” said the 2014 world champion on Monday.
Vinicius is always in the spotlight because of his behavior. This Brazilian player is considered to be impulsive, provoking opponents, often arguing with referees – and also often clashing with supporters. Kroos has discovered this problem during their time together at Real Madrid.
Kroos went on to explain how Vinicius’ constant arguments were not only taking a toll on him, but also the entire team: “As a team, you feel that the arguments are now aimed at the whole team because of this.”
Therefore, he often tries to calm Vinicius down on the pitch – also so as not to jeopardize his performance. Kroos: “I often try on the pitch to calm him down a bit – but the most important thing is that he doesn’t get out of his own game, because that happens sometimes. I often say: ‘You’re very good, you don’t need that’.”
Recently, Vinicius caused controversy again – in the Clásico win against Barca (2-1). After the substitution, the 25-year-old reacted with anger and disrespect towards coach Xabi Alonso. The scene was widely discussed in Spain. Only his apology – in front of the team and on social media – restored calm.
