This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Real Madrid’s last outing in the 2019/20 La Liga campaign was one that yielded mixed results.
Sure, Los Blancos ended up snatching all three points and recording their second win of the new season, coming out with a 3-2 victory against Levante, but there were a number of concerns too.
For starters, the home team conceded twice in the second half, almost dropping a lead that seemed untouchable after the first 45 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Then there were the injuries, of course, as both Sergio Ramos and Casemiro had to be substituted as a precaution, as per Zinedine Zidane’s words after the clash.
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But as easy as it would be to single out Karim Benzema or the aforementioned Brazilian midfielder, since they both scored on the day, Toni Kroos remains the unsung hero.
The 29-year-old German will rarely get the headlines in the papers but his work is simply invaluable, and he showed it last Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu with another top-notch performance.
Kroos was extremely active on the pitch, participating in almost all proceedings in both the team’s attack and defence. With 93 touches on the night, only Marcelo and Daniel Carvajal had more with 95 and 100 respectively.
But that doesn’t even start to describe his overall contribution. The German midfielder also tallied the second-highest four key passes on the day, 98.8% passing accuracy and three shots.
And his defensive output was also more than just decent – Kroos registered three tackles during the game and warranted a 7.44 rating according to Whoscored.
He had a brilliant game, keeping his side ticking over and getting up and down the pitch effectively.
When Kroos is at his best, Real find it easier to play, with the majority of their attacks funnelled through the Germany international.
He is a world-class operator and proved as much against Levante.
