Thomas Muller shouted - loudly. He'd seen Toni Kroos' pass before anyone else, and could only watch as his international team-mate threaded a defence-splitting ball that took three Bayern Munich players out of the game, and set up Vinicius Jr for an easy finish.
That moment - one that sent Muller into a near-comical fit of rage - was emblematic of Kroos' season in Madrid white. He is assisting at his best rate in three years, while pinging the ball around with the same vigour that made him one of the best midfielders in Europe for so long.
Kroos, once assumed to be on his way out of the Spanish capital, is a player reborn this season, and central to Los Blancos' pursuit of a domestic-European double. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has made Kroos indispensable, a regular in a well-balanced midfield and a crucial part of a team that is two wins away from a 16th European Cup.
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