World Cup: 'Germany don't have a single world-class player' - Toni Kroos fumes

Legendary German midfielder, Toni Kroos, has lamented the lack of world-class players, which he believes contributed to Germany’s fiasco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 2014 World Cup winner fumed that the current crop of players lack the quality to turn games around in difficult moments and decide matches the way past German teams did.

The former Real Madrid star also stated that the mindset of the German players, underestimating Paraguay, affected their performance, preventing them from staying focused throughout the match.

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"We currently don’t have a single world-class player. We have players with world-class potential, but that doesn’t mean they are world-class. The world-class players are currently deciding all the World Cup matches and leading the top goal scorers’ list. We don’t have a single one there, and we have to be honest about that.

"Back when we had successful tournaments, I always had the feeling we could shift into a higher gear. This team is currently no longer capable of that. We just think we’re better than Paraguay and we’ll win somehow," he said as reported by goal.com.

On June 29, 2026, four-time champions Germany were eliminated after a 1-1 draw in regulation time, losing 4-3 in the shootout.

Julio Enciso’s opener was canceled out by Kai Havertz, but Paraguay prevailed in the end.

Before extra time, Jonathan Tah rose unmarked at the back post and powered a header past Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill. However, the effort was reviewed and disallowed.

After the match, some players admitted that the team’s performances had been below par, saying the outcome was deserved and that authorities must address the issues.

SB/VPO

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