From FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League glory to heartbreak on football’s biggest stage, there is not much that Toni Kroos has not experienced in his long career.
But, after a professional career which has spanned 17 seasons, and seen him amass a staggering 34 major trophies, Kroos has decided that now is the moment to bow out of the beautiful game - and he does so as the most decorated German player of all time.
While many players hang up their boots when they no longer feel up to it, or can see a notable drop in their own performance, this simply is not the case for Kroos.
The German is still at the absolute top of his game and still considered one of the best midfielders in world football - which was evident in his world-class display in this year’s Champions League final, which his Real Madrid won 2-0 against Borussia Dortmund - a trophy that Kroos has now won six times.
Kroos came out of international retirement in March, having not represented his country since Euro 2021 before then, and has now set his sights on European glory this summer, at a home Euros - which would be a fitting end to an illustrious career.
But as the 34-year-old looks to step into the shadows of the sport, many may forget just how good he both is, and was, and what a tremendous miss he will be to the sport.
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The beautiful game, played beautifully
Some players score freakish amounts of goals, display outlandish skills, or simply have a swagger which makes fans adore them.
But then there are players like Kroos, who make football look so effortless - like an artist perfecting his craft every time he laces up a pair of boots.
He is the sort of player to make a young child fall in love with football, to inspire a generation and yet, somehow, it feels as though he never quite got the praise that he deserved.
Undoubtedly Kroos' biggest strength is his passing, which looks to be of second nature to him. During his time with Los Blancos, the German maintained a phenomenal passing accuracy of 94 per cent.
To put this into context, in the 2012/13 LaLiga season, during the peak of his power, Andrés Iniesta, who is widely regarded as the greatest passer of all time, amassed a passing accuracy of 'just' 90.5 per cent.
His longevity is to be admired and has seen him enjoy a career that would make even some of football's all-time greats jealous.
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Destined to succeed from day one
In his childhood, Kroos played alongside his brother, Felix, for their local side, Greifswalder.
One of his coaches at the time, Wolfgang Töllner, has previously spoken about Kroos' time with the club in an interview with the German FA, and would have struggled to speak in more glowing terms:
"He already knew how to kick a ball when he joined the team, but he still didn't know how to write. He was two and a half years younger than the rest and he was still the best in the team."
Kroos' love and talent for sport should come as little surprise, too, given that both his parents were athletes; his mum, Birgit, was a professional badminton player and his dad, Roland, was a wrestler.
His dad was forced to quit wrestling at a young age due to injury, but later took up youth football coaching, and took both of his sons under his wing, which shaped the early days of Kroos' footballing career.
But despite looking destined for greatness from such a young age, few could have imagined, in their wildest dreams, just how successful Kroos would go on to be.
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One last dance: A fairytale ending
For the majority of footballers, winning one of the UEFA Champions League, or an international tournament for your nation, is the pinnacle of football.
Kroos has the chance to achieve both of those things, neither for the first time, at Euro 2024, having won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid just a matter of weeks ago.
This would be a dream for any player, but if you could plan your retirement from the sport, it would surely look a lot like the script that we are potentially seeing unravel before our eyes.
From a small town on Germany's northern coast to the world's biggest stage, Kroos has lived every young child's dream, and now, with one last dance, he has the opportunity to bow out on the highest high imaginable.
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His integral role
While some veteran players, at this stage of their career, would play a bit-part role for their national team or, in many cases, fail to get called up at all, Kroos is still operating as though he is in the prime of his career.
At Euro 2024, the midfield maestro will be integral to Germany's chances of lifting the trophy on home soil, as he is still a star player for Nagelsmann's side.
If you need proof of his impact on the team, Germany had won just two of their last 10 games until March but, since Kroos reversed his international retirement earlier this year, Die Mannschaft are now on a four-game unbeaten run - including wins over France and the Netherlands.
In their final warm-up match, a 2-1 win against Greece, Kroos played the entire match and maintained a 97 per cent passing accuracy - higher than any other midfielder in the match.
Kroos has recently spoken about his own determination heading into the tournament, and insisted that he intends to take the top prize:
"I still want to be successful and I want to win the tournament this summer. That's quite clear.
"If I didn't feel this idea — or this fantasy — was possible, then I wouldn't have come back, because it's always about winning any competition I play in.”
So whether it be for his experience, leadership, or sheer quality, Germany will lean heavily on Kroos this summer, as he looks to give his nation one last cheer before riding into the sunset, turning the light out on a career that will be remembered for decades to come.
