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Toni Kroos slams outgoing Real Madrid team-mate Eden Hazard as he issues Jude Bellingham with harsh warning after €103m transfer.
When reacting to Jude Bellingham’s €103 million (£88m/$111m) transfer, Toni Kroos didn’t hold back in his evaluation of Eden Hazard’s Real Madrid career.
Earlier this month, when Madrid agreed to sever the winger’s contract a year early, the Belgian put an end to his turbulent stint in the Spanish capital.
Hazard left Chelsea in 2019 for a whopping €115 million (£98 million/£124 million). During his seven years with the club, Hazard set a record by winning Chelsea’s Player of the Year a record four times. However, after just 76 games and four injury-plagued seasons with Los Blancos, in which he contributed 19 goals, that transfer is now regarded as one of the worst in recent memory.
When discussing Bellingham’s €103 million transfer to the Spanish city, which the La Liga heavyweights revealed on Wednesday, Kroos made this admission.
The German told his Einfach mal Luppen podcast: “€103m transfer fee? We now also had someone who came for a lot of money and virtually let his career rest. A lot of money and I think everyone would say in retrospect: That was not such a good transfer. But now let’s start from the positive.”
While Bellingham joins an already star-studded young midfield – with Kylian Mbappe also reportedly in Real’s sights – one player who chose to leave the club this summer was Karim Benzema.
The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner left the club after 14 years to join Saudi champions Al-Ittihad, which Kroos believes should not damage the Frenchman’s image.
He added: “Karim to Saudi? You can go or you may not go. It is each person’s decision. There are circumstances that contribute to the decision-making. You do not interfere with it. You have to honour him as he deserves to be honoured.”
The German’s retirement from international football represents a well-deserved rest after a hectic season in which he appeared in 52 games for Real Madrid across all competitions. He will report for pre-season duties with Madrid among a slew of new faces as the club looks to complete their transfer business as soon as possible.