World Cup: German star Kroos backs Spain to win, marvels at Messi's evolution
Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- German football legend Toni Kroos predicts Spain will win the World Cup final against Argentina.
- Kroos cited Spain's superior overall team level and tactical discipline as key advantages.
- He also praised Lionel Messi's continued evolution and exceptional performance at the World Cup.
German football icon Toni Kroos has tipped Spain to emerge victorious in the upcoming World Cup final against Argentina. Kroos, renowned for his tactical acumen and candid commentary, believes the Spanish team possesses a higher overall level of play compared to Argentina, giving them a slight edge in the championship match.
You can see that Messi's football intelligence is still constantly evolving.
Drawing on his extensive experience in Spanish football, Kroos highlighted Spain's team stability and tactical structure as primary reasons for his prediction. He specifically pointed to Spain's midfield as their greatest strength, emphasizing their ability to control possession, dictate the game's tempo, and execute high pressing with quick passing and disciplined positional play.
He has been playing almost every weekend for the past three years, and then comes to the World Cup and is still better than everyone else, which is truly incredible.
Despite favoring Spain, Kroos offered high praise for Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi. He marveled at Messi's continuous footballing intelligence evolution, noting his remarkable performance at the World Cup despite playing almost every weekend for the past three years. Kroos admitted he had previously thought the last World Cup might be Messi's final appearance, given his age, and expressed astonishment at his continued excellence.
I originally thought that would be his last World Cup because he was already 35 years old then. I asked myself then: 'What else can he achieve after that?'
Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.