The quintessential Toni Kroos moment arrives before he does. He sends a text, apologising that he’ll be 11 minutes late. It’s all there, in that one line: the typically German concern with punctuality and good manners, the precision. ETA in 11 minutes. Not ten, not 15. Above all, the unhurriedness. He’s genuinely sorry you’ll have to wait but that’s just how it’s going to be.



Kroos’ entire career — the most successful of any German player in modern times — has been built on the premise of never doing things in a rush.



The calmness that the 30-year-old exudes on the pitch is soon evident in person, too. Over lunch at a business hotel on the outskirts of Madrid, Kroos’ demeanour is that of a man at peace with himself, supremely confident in his and his team’s abilities to bring about a successful end to the season. With Real having endured a difficult 2018-19 campaign with no big trophies and two...