Real Madrid came away with a 2-2 draw from their first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg contest against Bayern Munich last night.
Vinicius Jr. was the star of the show for the Merengues on a night when Jude Bellingham failed to step up.
Another top performer for Real Madrid on their visit to Germany was Toni Kroos. Returning to his former home, the veteran midfielder dished out a fine display, even setting up Vinicius with a sublime assist for the first goal on the night.
Kroos once again showcased that despite getting older, he continues to remain absolutely top-class and can contribute in a big manner for Real Madrid.
Given his contract expires at the end of the season, there has been some speculation over his future, although those within Real Madrid take his continuity for granted.
But, Kroos, speaking after last night’s game, refused to give anything away as far as his future is concerned, stating that he is not thinking about it at this point.
"I’m in a good moment. I want to win as much as possible this season and I’m not thinking about the future," he said.
On the 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich, he added: "The result is good enough for both of us. We had some good moments and some not so good moments, it’s normal in the Champions League semi-finals."
"If they score in the first 15 minutes it seems normal but they score when we are in control. We’ve given our all here and now we’re going for the second leg."
With the second leg set to be played at the Santiago Bernabeu next week, Kroos hopes that it gives Real Madrid an advantage, as he said:
"Hopefully it’s an advantage to play at the Bernabéu. Normally it is, but we have to do it again."
On his assist to Vinicius’ opener on the night, Kroos opted to give credit to the Br azilian and his intelligent movement, saying:
"There’s a lot of credit to Vini. I saw that their centre-back follows Vini, I knew him and I knew he was going to go into space. The move he has made has been important."
"If you have players like Vinicius it gives you the possibility to do these things. He’s quick and clever."
Kroos also refused to get drawn in on the speculations regarding Kylian Mbappe’s arrival at Real Madrid, as he said: "It’s the future. He’s not going to be joining for the return leg, so it’s not my concern."
When asked if he thought Vinicius was the best player in the world right now, Kroos replied:
"I don’t know, it’s difficult. It can change every week or every two weeks. Vinicius for sure is one of them, and we have more. A week ago people were saying it was Jude [ Bellingham], now it’s Vini…."