Kroos comeback impressive but Ramelow ´sceptical´ of Germany´s Euro 2024 hopes

Toni Kroos’ comeback from international retirement started with two impressive results but Carsten Ramelow remains “sceptical” over Germany’s Euro 2024 hopes.

Real Madrid midfielder Kroos reversed his decision to retire from Julian Nagelsmann’s national team, returning in March before back-to-back victories over France and Netherlands.

In doing so, the 34-year-old – who had not played on the international stage for three years prior – equalled Jurgen Klinsmann’s 108-match tally, with only seven players now having more appearances for Germany.

Kroos was an integral figure in Nagelsmann’s midfield as the Euro 2024 hosts swept aside France 2-0 in a Lyon friendly before overcoming Netherlands 2-1 in a Frankfurt meeting.

Yet former Germany midfielder Ramelow remains unsure whether Nagelsmann’s side will hit similar heights when it comes to hosting the European Championships in June.

“I don’t know what happened with the team in the March games but the results were good,” former Bayer Leverkusen player Ramelow told Stats Perform.

“In Germany, you now tend to say we will win the Euros… We also play at home, so we are European Champions already – that’s always interesting how the media sees this.

“The positive things were the recent results and the performances of the national team. They have improved drastically, also the overall mentality.

“Whether it was the impact of Toni Kroos, we will see. He is a player that has held a very high level over the years with Real Madrid, no doubt.

“He can definitely help the team, but whether that is something for the future remains to be seen. I am still sceptical because we had many years where nothing worked and two games where they played well.”

2/2 pic.twitter.com/4jmFeE23y2

— Toni Kroos (@ToniKroos) March 27, 2024

Ramelow was at least pleased to see Germany find basics such as “passion, heart and commitment” in the friendly victories, though insists time will tell on their success and Kroos’ performances.

“[The results] also created euphoria, which is good,” the versatile 46-cap Germany defender added. “But in the end, we have to wait for the tournament to start.

“Then we will see if all of that still works between Toni Kroos and the rest of the team. I think it’s too early to claim we are back on track and will play a successful tournament.

“Regarding Toni Kroos, I also have to say I was a bit surprised about his comeback, because they attempted to start all over again.”

Germany start their Euro 2024 campaign against Scotland on June 14, though Kroos and his team will face Ukraine and Greece in friendlies before that tournament opener at the Allianz Arena.