Toni Kroos blasts Mesut Ozil's claims of racism in German FA

Toni Kroos has hit out at former teammate Mesut Ozil following his retirement from international football. Real Madrid midfielder told Bild racism within the DFB “does not exist”. "Basically, Mesut is a deserved national player and would have deserved a better exit as a footballer," he said. "I have played with Mesut for many years and know that he is a nice guy. "The way of his retirement was not okay. The proportion that is well and properly addressed in his statement is unfortunately overshadowed by the much higher proportion of nonsense. "I think that he knows that racism does not exist within the national team and the DFB. "On the contrary, we are always committed to diversity and integration. Mesut was a good example, as many of our fellow players did. "Mesut was criticized for the photo — and rightly so. And he missed the chance to explain himself. Nevertheless, he was absolutely supported by the athletic leadership and the team. "Later he was — as we others also — criticized for the performance at the World Cup. "The type of criticism was certainly not always at a good level - but then you have to go through as a player."

Sergio Ramos failed to fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo