The Champions League 2023-24 final wasn't just an ordinary final but it was an epic one. Some new records were made in this final. Real Madrid's 15 Champions League crowns. Also, Real Madrid's boss Carlo Ancelotti's 5 Champions League trophies, most Champions League titles by players, and so on.
However, the 2023-24 Champions League final was more important regarding Toni Kroos and Marco Reus. Tony Kroos hung his boots at the end of the match with smiles, 6 Champions League titles and a medal around his neck, while Marco Reus bid farewell to his beloved boyhood club Borussia Dortmund with tears and a number of misfortunes on his account.
The 2 legendary German footballers started their professional career in the same era and at the same time, yet their careers took contrasting turns. One became a legend at Real Madrid when betrayed by his youth club Bayern Munich, while other become a legend in his hometown youth club Borussia Dortmund. However, one's career is filled with glory and silverware, the others career is plagued by a series of injuries, mishaps and misfortunes.
Toni Kroos goes out on a high
As Real Madrid lifted the Champions League trophy at Wembley, Kroos drank in every moment of the final match with a great performance and high expectations. He completed 97 % of his passes and was accurate and complete. He had a dream farewell to his club career with a figure of a legend for Los Blancos. Only few players have such extraordinary moments for hanging the boots like Toni Kroos.
Toni Kroos will retire from professional football at the age of 34, with one last dance at Euro 2024 in his homeland Germany. Though he was in his prime and could have some more seasons of glory in football, yet his decision was very firm and timely.
“His decision to go is the decision of a great, a decision of character,” said Carlo Ancelotti , “We are saying farewell to a footballing great who we have been lucky to have here.”
Toni Kroos made his debut for Bayern Munich against Energie Cottbus on 26 September, 2007. It was a dream debut for 17 year old Kroos as he was the youngest ever debutant for Bayern Munich, and gave 2 assists to Klose within 18 minutes of his substitution and won Bundesliga title at the end of the season. Kroos was an important part of Bayern Munich midfield and won treble with the team in 2012 -13 season.
At the end of 2013-14 season, despite 24 goals and 49 assists for the Bavarian club, Bayern Munich refused to extend his contract. He was under-appreciated in Bayern Munich and the management considered him an average player. Heartbroken Kroos left Germany to prove his worth and joined Real Madrid. It was a game changing move for Kroos as he will become a legend at Santiago Bernnabéu. In his career, he not only won the world cup with Germany in 2014, but went on to win countless in his club career as well.
Toni Kroos earned the status of a legend at Santiago Bernnabéu. He won 5 Champions League trophies with Los Blancos and became one of 5 players to win a record 6 Champions League titles. Moreover, he played 451 games for Real Madrid with a total 28 goals, 96 assists and massive 20 trophies. He was also a legend for Germany with a glorious stats of 17 goals and 21 assists in 108 international matches. Kroos won a record 6 Champions Leagues, as many as the Bavarian club won in their history, 5 UEFA Super Cups, 6 FIFA Club World Cups, 1 Spanish Cup, 3 Bundesliga titles, 3 DFB-Pokal, 1 German Cup winner and 2018 player of the year award.
Toni Kroos is an integral part of German midfield and played a key role in lifting the 2014 world cup in Brazil. He has earned 32 times winners' medals as a Bayern, Real and Germany player,which reflects his towering legacy in the history of football.
He officially announced his retirement from professional football after Euro 2024 where the maestro is hopeful for another glory for Germany.
“I wanted to say goodbye with this Champions League victory. It means an incredible amount to me," said Toni Kroos to a German broadcast, “There will be difficult moments. When you see all this behind you, you'll miss it. It's not easy, I have to admit that.”
Synonym of misfortune: Marco Reus
While Toni Kroos was celebrating his sixth Champions League title, Marco Reus has seen yet another misfortune of his career. His whole career is marked by narrow margins, mishaps, injuries and near-misses. His luck was never on his side despite being a great player and loyal to his club Borussia Dortmund. He has been named as Europe's unluckiest footballer which is, unfortunately, a very true to his character.
Every European giant was interested in signing Reus at one point or another, yet he always chose Borussia Dortmund and remaied loyal with an ambition of taking Dortmund to glory.
"But, in the end," Reus explained, "I always chose my club. I belong here,".
He always wanted to win Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League with Dortmund. In 2019, he confessed, “I really want to win the Bundesliga with this club, I want to be in the Champions League final again”. Yet, he misfortunes always haunted him and made him heartbroken.
Born and bred in Dortmund, he always dreamt of playing for Die Schwarzgelben. He has been in the youth ranks of Borussia Dortmund and finally his dream was realised on 24 August, 2012 when made a professional debut for Borussia Dortmund's senior team in Bundesliga.
I would like to play for a club who can challenge for the league title and guarantee me Champions League football. I see this chance in Dortmund.
Reus' ambition of winning Bundesliga continued till 2022-23 season where he came very close to win the title. Yet, Borussia Dortmund collapsed in the final day of the league against Mainz. The match was tied 2-2 and Borussia Dortmund levels the points with Bayern Munich and lost the title on goal difference.
In 2012-13 Champions League, Borussia Dortmund crashed the beast Real Madrid in semi-finals and reached final. They have to face Bayern Munich in the final in Wembley. However, Reus ambition of Champions League title was shattered by Arjen Robbe's 89th minute late goal.
The 2014 Wolrd Cup would be a great deal for the career of Reus as Germany lifted the cup by defeating Argentina in the final. Reus was the part of the the German squad which was one of the strongest one. However, he has been ruled out of the world cup at the eleventh hour due to ankle injury in the very last warm-up match against Armenia. Unfortunately, he didn't appear in a single game of the tournament. This incident left Reus down in the dumps. Reus stated “A dream was shattered from one moment to the next.
In Reus' career, Borussia Dortmund was ruled out of Champions League 2 times in group stages,, 4 times in Round of 16, 4 times in the quarter-finals and significantly 2 times in final, both times at Wembley.
He also missed a number of major tournaments of his career which includes 2014 and 2022 FIFA world cups, and Euro 2016 and 2020. He played in Euro 2012 where Germany lost in semi-finals to Italy. He also played in 2018 world cup where Germany has to defend its title, but unfortunately that year Germany gave the worst ever World Cup performance and finished the group stage at the bottom.
Despite of all these misfortunes and injury-pleagued career, Reus still managed to win DFL-Supercups 3 times and DFB-Pokal 2 times with Borussia Dortmund. A player of such caliber, whom German legend Franz Beckenbauer called “a next superstar” in German football, definitely deserves more than this.
Now that Marco Reus parted away from his beloved Borussia Dortmund this summer, one can only hope, superstitiously, that his misfortunes might come to an end, and decorate his career with glory and silverware.