Bayern Munich made a mistake by allowing Toni Kroos to join Real Madrid according to the club’s former sporting director Matthias Sammer.
Bayern Munich allowed Toni Kroos to join Real Madrid for a meager €30 million after the 2014 World Cup. The Bavarians failed to agree a new deal with the player (who wanted an increased paycheck), so they had no other option than to sell him.
Mathias Sammer was Bayern’s sporting director at the time. In his column for SportBild, Sammer recently suggested that it was a huge mistake to let Kroos leave the club. He believes that Bayern would have done better in Europe if Kroos had stayed at the club. However, he also says that Kroos’ decision to move to Madrid was the best for his personal development.
"“Sometimes there are situations that you have to analyze honestly in retrospect.“Who can say they have done everything right in life? Maybe Bayern Munich would have won the Champions League more often with Toni or at least reached the final. I can say today that, in my role, it was a mistake to let Toni go.”"
Kroos had enjoyed his time in Germany, as he won numerous titles with Bayern Munich. The German midfielder was a key player for Bayern in their historic treble win in 2013, although he missed the end of the season with injury. He also had a good first season under Pep Guardiola, despite the arrival of Pep’s prodigy Thiago Alcantara.
Bayern have won every Bundesliga title since Kroos’ departure, but never reached the final of the Champions League. In the mean time, Kroos has become one of the best midfielders in Europe and a vital player for Real Madrid. The Spanish giants have won the Champions League twice in the past three years, and Kroos played a major role in both of those European triumphs.
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Kroos has previously admitted that his career in Germany is over. Since his departure, Bayern Munich have bought many midfielders. The German Champions broke their transfer record last summer for a midfielder when they signed Corentin Tolisso from Lyon. The Bavarians have great depth in midfield right now, but they surely would be in an even better position if Kroos had stayed at the club.