Tribal Football

Real Madrid great Kroos: Why coaching isn't for me

Real Madrid great Kroos: Why coaching isn't for me
Real Madrid great Kroos: Why coaching isn't for meLaLiga
Real Madrid great Toni Kroos says coaching isn't for him.

Kroos retired after playing for Germany at the Euros last summer.

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The 34-year-old has offered his thoughts on the future and rules out a coaching career.

"No, I will not be a coach," he tells The Athletic.

Kroos says he would refuse even if Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of Real Madrid, was to get in touch.

"No, that's impossible. Whenever he (Ancelotti) wants, he can have my opinion. But he knows why I ended my career.

"An important part of that was the amount of travel and hotels. It has never been about the 90 minutes spent on the pitch. If it was just about that, I could play as long as I wanted."

The German is more open to working in other roles within football - for example as sports director.

"As a sports director, you are perhaps a little more free, you work a little more with the mobile phone, but it is impossible to be a coach," he says.

Kroos also discussed the difficult conversation with Ancelotti after deciding to retire.

"It was difficult for me to tell Carlo because he expected me to stay. We had and still have a good relationship. He was my first coach, and it wasn't easy to tell him, but everything in life comes to an end.

"But it wasn't easy. I knew he wouldn't be mad, but he would be a little sad. It was not an easy moment for me because something special ended."