Johan Cruyff was a famously difficult man to please.
Pep Guardiola found that out as an academy player at Barcelona when the legendary Dutchman told the teenage midfielder he was "slower than my granny". However, in the steely gaze of Cruyff, Toni Kroos was considered "nearly perfect" in 2014.
The metronomic passer of Real Madrid is out of contract next summer when he will be 34. Various sources, none of which are particularly concrete, have linked Kroos with a free transfer to Manchester City in 2024.
But why would the treble winners want a player that peaked a decade ago?
Why would Man City want to sign Toni Kroos?
Guardiola will be well aware of the myriad of qualities Kroos can bring to a team after a fruitful season coaching the former Germany international at Bayern Munich. The admiration was mutual. "I loved playing for him," Kroos gushed when reflecting on the 2013/14 campaign, "and could have renewed my contract at Bayern, of course.
"I don’t think it's ever a good idea to sign a deal just because of the manager, however. Pep wanted me to renew but what would have been the point of me signing a five-year deal if the manager was off again soon?"
Kroos admitted that the pair are "still in touch and get on very well", treasuring that campaign "because I learned so much".
Even though a decade has passed, Kroos remains the continent's elite pace-setter and pass-master. Using StatsBomb's new expected passing model, Kroos led Europe's top five leagues for passes completed above expectation last season. Even deep into his 30s, Kroos would make between four and five more passes than the typical player every game. For comparison, Manchester City's Rodri averaged 2.2 passes above expectation per 90.
This season has been no different. Kroos may have started more than half of Madrid's La Liga matches on the bench this term but he has featured in every outing. Of any player to have racked up at least 400 minutes this term, only Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong (a former City target) averages more open play passes into the final third than Kroos, who rattles off almost 14 every game.
How Toni Kroos could fit in at Man City
City deliberately pivoted towards direct dribblers over dainty passers this summer, losing the security of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez for the verticality of Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku. While it's far too early to judge the altered approach, City have looked more vulnerable out of possession without a tightly stitched web of playmakers.
Guardiola has repeatedly touched upon the team's increased openness this season. "Always I have the feeling that when you take 15, 20 touches, passes in every action in attack, something good is going to happen," the Catalan warned.
Kroos could provide this added layer of security in possession by lining up alongside Rodri, either in a double pivot or on his favoured left berth of a midfield three.
Since Casemiro's departure in 2022, Carlo Ancelotti has sporadically stuck Kroos at the base of Madrid's midfield. While never comfortable defending large spaces - a skill Rodri took a season to master in Manchester - Kroos could regally dictate play against one of the innumerable teams that huddle into a low block against City.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Why Man City would want to sign Toni Kroos.