Former Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has delivered a damning assessment of his country’s national team, insisting they no longer have a single world-class player following their elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Germany crashed out in the Round of 32 after losing to Paraguay, prompting Kroos to question the quality and mentality within Julian Nagelsmann’s squad.
Speaking on his TikTok programme, Kroos & Kroos, the 2014 World Cup winner said Germany lacked the elite players capable of deciding major matches.
“We don’t currently have a single world-class player,” Kroos said.
“We have players with world-class potential, but that doesn’t mean they are world-class.
“The world-class players are deciding all the World Cup matches right now. And they’re the ones on the goalscorers’ list where the world-class players are.
“We don’t have a single one there, we have to be honest about that.”
Kroos also questioned the mentality of the current squad, saying they lacked the belief and hunger that characterised Germany’s successful teams of the past.
According to the former Real Madrid midfielder, the players approached the defeat to Paraguay with the wrong mindset.
“We think we’re better than Paraguay – we’ll win somehow,” he said, suggesting overconfidence and uncertainty combined to undermine Germany’s campaign.
Former Germany captain Michael Ballack also criticised the team, saying the qualities that once defined German football had disappeared.
“Our virtues, which have always distinguished Germany, have been somewhat lost,” Ballack said.
“We start well, have ten, twenty good minutes, maybe even score a goal.
“But with the first action where we concede a goal or make a mistake, the whole thing collapses – and then you ask yourself: why?”
Germany’s early exit marked another disappointing tournament for the four-time world champions, with Kroos and Ballack both calling attention to shortcomings in quality, mentality and resilience within the current squad.
