Friday, 18th July, 2014
New Real Madrid signing Toni Kroos has denied he decided to leave Bayern Munich because of a rift with manager Pep Guardiola.
The 24-year-old, who helped Germany to win the World Cup, joined Los Blancos on a six-year deal from the Bavarians yesterday.
Kroos was not guaranteed a regular starting spot under Guardiola, who took charge of the club last summer.
But the midfielder, who scored 24 goals in 205 appearances in all competitions for Bayern Munich, insisted that he had no problems with Guardiola and went on to add that the Spaniard’s style of play suited him.
"Real Madrid are the reason I am here", Kroos was quoted as saying by the FIFA’s official site.
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"I have no problem with Guardiola, quite the opposite. I got on very well with him and have no reason to criticise him.
“There were no problems with him and I benefited from his style of play."
Kroos further revealed that he had spoken with his Germany team-mate Sami Khedira, who is linked with a move to Arsenal, about Real Madrid before making his move, however he refused to speculate on the 27-year-old’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu.
"Of course I spoke to him, he told me great things about Madrid and reaffirmed my thoughts", he added.
"But what happens in the future is up to him, not to me. It depends on him and Madrid."
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