Toni Kroos commands rare respect in football. Every word from the Real Madrid legend draws attention, all the more so because the vision that defined his play still shapes his opinions in retirement.
Little wonder, then, that so many wanted to hear Kroos on Rodri, the Spaniard tipped as the man to fill the void the German left in Real Madrid's midfield.
According to "Defensa Central", statements attributed to Kroos have swept across social media over the past few hours, claiming he was mulling a return to the pitch to line up alongside Rodri, who is close to swapping Manchester City for Real Madrid.
The circulated statements read: "If Rodri joins Real Madrid, I might be forced to come out of retirement just to play beside him. Perhaps he could teach me some things about how to become a complete midfielder."
They went on: "Of all the names linked to Mourinho's project, Rodri is the player I want to see the most. Imagine Rodri and Bernardo Silva controlling Real Madrid's midfield. Then you would have moved a part of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium."
On the size of the fee, he was quoted as saying: "People will talk about the value of the transfer, but there are players who are priceless. The winner of the Ballon d'Or, the World Cup, and one of the best midfielders of this generation, his value cannot be haggled over much."
