Kroos raring to rise to "biggest challenge"

Germany international Toni Kroos gave an interview to the German Football Association in which he stressed how much he is looking forward to embarking on the challenge of playing for new club Real Madrid.

"Joining Real Madrid is the biggest challenge there is. The club is known the world over. I've been congratulated on the move by all sorts of people", Kroos stated.

"I'm glad to have the chance to play with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and my international teammate Sami Khedira", noted the World Cup winner, adding that leaving Bayern Munich was "the right thing" for his career at this juncture.

The 24-year-old midfielder also claimed that bringing in new players, himself included, is a sign of Real's ambition to keep winning trophies and attempt to become the first club to retain the Champions League.

Lastly, Kroos revealed that he first considered jumping ship at Bayern when contract negotiations broke down: "Bayern were always my first port of call and that's why I ruled out making contact with other clubs. But when we were unable to reach an agreement and a lot of interest was shown in me, including from the biggest clubs in the world, I decided to try something new".