It was June 23, 2018, and Germany's World Cup defence seemed set to collapse. As Toni Kroos stood over a free-kick, a shade over from the left corner flag, in the 95th minute, with no apparent angle to hit the target, Die Mannschaft's tournament appeared all but over. His side were level, 1-1, with Sweden, and after results elsewhere went against them, anything short of three points would effectively end their hopes in Russia after just 180 minutes of football.
Kroos, though, changed things. A perfectly executed set-piece - a roll to Marco Reus, followed by a whipped effort into the top corner - gave the Germans a 2-1 win, keeping their tournament alive. That would be Kroos' last big moment in his national team's colours. Germany would go on to dramatically lose to South Korea in their final group game, while their pandemic-delayed Euro 2020 campaign ended prematurely in a last-16 loss to England.
By that time, the midfield maestro was being hammered in the German press, and cast aside by veterans of the game. His nation had, in effect, turned against him, and Kroos showed little remorse in stepping away from the international game in 2021.
Fast-forward nearly three years, and that has all changed. Groovy, expansive manager Julian Nagelsmann has brought Kroos back into the side, and the midfielder, once disgraced, disregarded and discarded, is now poised to be a crucial part of a side that needs to perform as they host Euro 2024. He doesn't return as a saviour, nor is it a particularly emotional return. Rather, Kroos has regained his spot in the team on merit, a player reborn and ready to inject quality into what seemed a struggling side.
