MY ACCOUNT
Toni Kroos has enjoyed one of the most garlanded careers in world football, but on Sunday he finally collected something rather less treasured than his many medals: a red card.
In his 634th competitive top-flight game at club level, Kroos was dismissed for the first time as Real Madrid were held 1-1 by Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Germany international had already been booked when he cynically fouled Aleix Garcia as Girona looked to break at speed in stoppage time.
That meant the 32-year-old had to go, with referee Mario Melero Lopez ordering him off.
Kroos played at the highest level in Germany for Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, where he had an 18-month loan spell early in his career.
After making his Bundesliga debut in 2007 and gradually developing into a Bayern star performer, Kroos was signed up by Madrid in July 2014, days after helping his national team win the World Cup.
He has won the Champions League five times, landed three Bundesliga titles and three LaLiga crowns, and added five Club World Cup wins.
That is just scratching the surface, with Kroos scoring 59 goals and adding 130 assists while prompting skilfully from midfield.
The 634-game total consists of all competitions, including Kroos playing 253 times in LaLiga, 173 games in the Bundesliga, and 132 matches in the Champions League.
Kroos was not entirely a stranger to referees over that time, but they had always held off showing him red. He had totted up 84 bookings before Lopez decided the moment had arrived for an early bath.
