Toni Kroos

Paul Pogba has backed Kylian Mbappe, claiming that he can only go higher after breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's goalscoring debut in his first season at Real Madrid. Kylian Mbappe has once again emerged as the leading scorer for Real Madrid during the 2025-26 season, even as the club struggles through a disappointing, almost trophyless campaign. Despite the team’s collective failure, the striker received a public vote of confidence from French teammate Paul Pogba, who believes Mbappe is just getting started after surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut-season goal record. A collapse in the Spanish Super Cup, a premature exit from the Copa del Rey, and a recent Champions League quarterfinal elimination have left the entire Real Madrid roster under heavy scrutiny. Despite racking up 41 goals in 40 games, Mbappe has not escaped the critics, with some questioning whether his individual brilliance is actually translating into team success. Appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, Pogba was asked if Mbappe could raise his game even further and finally secure the Ballon d’Or. “Ballon d’Or, I think it’s just timing. I think he deserved it in previous seasons, but it’s about the right moment. Now he’s scoring more than ever and has truly found his place in Madrid,” Pogba told the Manchester United legend. Pogba specifically pointed to the historic numbers Mbappe produced during his 2024-25 debut season as a sign of things to come. “He scored more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo; he scored more than Ronaldo Nazário. When you produce like that in your first year, you can only go higher, and I am not surprised at all,” he added. Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring against Bayern Munich. After arriving as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe hit the ground running with 43 goals across all competitions in his first year in Spain. That tally allowed him to shatter the debut-season marks set by Ivan Zamorano (37), Cristiano Ronaldo (33), and the legendary Ronaldo Nazario (29). Real Madrid’s struggle to unlock Mbappe Speed and elite space interpretation remain Mbappe’s most lethal traits, allowing him to dismantle defenses in transition. However, his ability to exploit those gaps depends heavily on having a playmaker capable of delivering the right pass at the right moment, a profile that is currently missing from the Madrid midfield. Pogba, who famously orchestrated the French midfield during their 2018 World Cup title run, reflected on his own chemistry with the striker. “We understand each other. I understand his runs and everything. He’s so fast that even if I slightly miss the pass, he will catch it. His movement is unbelievable.“ During their recent Champions League-winning runs, Real Madrid relied on the technical genius of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos to break lines and feed players like Vinicius Junior. Both legends have since departed, and while Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham have been tasked with those roles, the squad has struggled to find a creative hub that can truly maximize Mbappe’s vertical threat.

After being recognized by the Laureus Academy with an award, Toni Kroos ruled out the possibility of returning from retirement despite Real Madrid's current situation. Toni Kroos was the beating heart of Real Madrid‘s midfield for years, forming one of the game’s most celebrated partnerships alongside Luka Modric. With the club now in desperate need of a player of his profile, speculation about a potential comeback has intensified, but Kroos has put those rumors to rest emphatically following his recognition at the Laureus Awards. The 2025-26 season has been a difficult one for Real Madrid, with the club struggling to find the right balance between a potent attacking line and an unsettled midfield. That imbalance has fueled talk of a possible return for the 36-year-old, but Kroos himself has been the one to shut it all down. Speaking to reporters at the Laureus Awards Gala in Madrid, Kroos was asked directly whether a comeback had ever crossed his mind. “No, truthfully, I haven’t. I’ve never had that thought because I stopped exactly how I wanted to stop. I closed the book. Even if I thought about returning — though it’s already too late — I always believed it was impossible to finish on a higher note. Anything that came after would have been worse,” he said. Kroos retired in 2024 at the very peak of his powers, capping his playing career with a UEFA Champions League title with Real Madrid in the 2023-24 season. With six UCL medals and a World Cup winner’s medal already in his collection, the former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid midfielder believes that anything following such a farewell could only diminish the legacy he worked so hard to build. German Footballer Toni Kroos poses with the Laureus Sporting Inspiration award. While recent reports have suggested Real Madrid are keen to bring Kroos into a prominent role within the club’s sporting structure, his days as a professional player are firmly behind him. “Now I have other motivations in my life and other projects. That stage ended well for me, and I was able to leave happy, without the feeling that something could have been done better. I was happy, and that’s that,” he concluded. Kroos and the recognition from the Laureus Academy The fact that Kroos is still being seriously discussed as a potential first-team solution for Real Madrid speaks to the scale of his influence at the club. It is also a fitting backdrop for the recognition he received on Monday night, when the Laureus Academy presented him with the Laureus Sporting Inspiration Award. Toni Kroos receives the Laureus Sporting Inspiration Award 🏆#Laureus26 pic.twitter.com/Y8Ia0n1Yml — Laureus (@LaureusSport) April 20, 2026 The honor has been bestowed only three times previously: first to the Refugee Olympic Team in 2017, then to NFL star J.J. Watt in 2018, and most recently to Mohamed Salah in 2021. Five years on, the German legend became the fourth recipient of the award, a fitting tribute to one of the most decorated and influential careers in the history of the game.

Marcus, Jim and Vish look back on some dramatic happenings last night, where Real Madrid beat Liverpool on PES and Jude Bellingham stole our hearts. We hail Toni Kroos, who is probably still playing triangles now, and consider Erling Haaland’s visit to the Etihad, where he appears to have been duped into signing for them on £5k per week. Also, Norwich are edging back towards the Premier League like a peak Daniel Farke dancing his way over to you in a nightclub and Harry Redknapp has given Eddie Howe’s move to Celtic his stamp of approval. Join us! Search ‘Football Ramble’ on social media to find us, and email us here: [email protected]. ***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wilkommen! Our resident space investigators, Luke Moore and Andy Brassell, are back with a brand new episode of On The Continent! We begin over in Germany, as genuine fear spreads that as many as a third of professional German sides could be declare bankruptcy. We discuss how clubs like Schalke are attempting to combat the problem, as well as talking about some actual football since some clubs have begun highly-regulated training. Unfortunately, Kingsley Coman and Corentin Tolisso completely forgot the social distancing guidelines and hugged each other upon arrival at Bayern training… Meine Güte. Elsewhere, we discuss Javiert Tebas’ work in Spain and his continued updates about how La Liga aims to complete the season, while Toni Kroos has copped some unwarranted flack for his thoughts around players donating some of their wages. We also spare a moment to celebrate the great life of Randomir Antić, the celebrated Serbian manager who won the double with Atlético in 1995/96 and remains the only man to manage Spain’s big three clubs, after his sad passing. Fancy getting in touch? We are now releasing episodes of the Mailbag exclusively to Patreon! Email us at [email protected] and visit patreon.com/footballrambledaily to get involved! **Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!* The Football Ramble, the original and best football podcast. Brand new podcasts every single weekday throughout the Premier League season and every day throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup. No cliches. No ex-pros like Peter Crouch or The Rest is Football. Just the funniest football conversation out there. Your guardian for the season, daily not weekly. Stick to the Ramble, totally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.