Guardiola Tried to Halt Kroos’ Retirement: Made a Lucrative Offer

One of Pep Guardiola’s lingering regrets is allowing Toni Kroos to leave Bayern Munich. Although the decision was driven by the club’s refusal to improve Kroos’ salary, Guardiola feels he could have done more to keep the midfielder.

In subsequent years, Guardiola has made several attempts to sign Kroos. Recently, after Kroos announced his retirement, Guardiola reached out to offer him a chance to play at Manchester City, hoping Kroos would reconsider his future.

“You can’t leave so soon… We’d be delighted to have you in Manchester,” was Guardiola’s message to Kroos, trying to persuade him to delay his retirement and join City.

However, the attempt was unsuccessful as Kroos has firmly made up his mind. He has been contemplating this decision for a long time, opting to leave at the peak of his career so that Madrid fans can remember him at his best. Kroos has always stated that Real Madrid would be his last club, making Guardiola’s efforts futile, even if Kroos decided to extend his playing career.

Real Madrid will undoubtedly miss one of their greatest legends of the past decade. Replacing Kroos will not be easy, and the team will need to adapt their style of play to suit the available players. Kroos’ unique qualities make him irreplaceable, and finding a similar player will be a challenging task for the club.