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Former Real Madrid assistant coach Davide Ancelotti has acknowledged that when Toni Kroos retired following the 2023–24 campaign, Los Blancos "lost something they will never recover."
Now managing Lille in Ligue 1, Ancelotti served as right-hand man to his father, Carlo Ancelotti, during the elder's second spell in charge of Real Madrid from 2021–25, a period in which the club claimed two Champions League crowns.
Recently, the younger Ancelotti sat down with AS and shared that when Kroos hung up his boots in 2024, he left a gaping void in Real Madrid's squad that has proven impossible to plug.
"You can survive, but they lost something they will never recover," Ancelotti said. "[You lose] the best player in the world at his position. You can't be like 'I need another Kroos' because there isn't one."
Official Announcement: Toni Kroos.#RealMadrid | #GraciasKroos
"He controlled games," Ancelotti added. "He controlled the tempo. The game unfolded exactly as he wanted — whether possession moved sideways or forward, he made that call, and he was crucial because he set the rhythm of play.
"On top of that, he covered a lot of ground. Toni was a player who ran 11 kilometers per game. He defended, he had tremendous tactical awareness. I absolutely loved watching him operate as a No. 6."
Kroos retired in the summer of 2024 after winning both the Champions League and La Liga in his final campaign. The 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup remains the only piece of silverware Los Blancos have added to their collection since.
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While Ancelotti is correct that replacing Toni Kroos is far easier said than done, Real Madrid haven't made a serious attempt to do so. Even after Luka Modrić departed the club a year later, Los Blancos still haven't made any meaningful investment in rebuilding their midfield, instead relying on players who were already at the club during Kroos's time.
Kylian Mbappé was Real Madrid's headline signing in the summer of Kroos's retirement. Los Blancos have overhauled their defensive line over the past two years, but rather than targeting a world-class midfielder, Madrid broke their own transfer record this summer to land dynamic winger Yan Diomande.
"I don't want everything I say about Madrid to be taken as a criticism," Ancelotti said. "But when you have Modrić and Kroos, the ball will get there every time someone runs into space.
"I'm not saying the players they have now don't have that ability. What I'm saying is that to play vertically, you need someone that knows how to place the ball. Playing vertically doesn't mean you need to have eight sprinters, it also means you need someone that can release them. It's an idea of how to play."
"Inevitably, for Real Madrid's dynamic style, losing Toni has been very complicated, because suddenly so many things get taken away," Ancelotti added.
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Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Bernardo Silva appear to be Real Madrid's primary central midfield options heading into the 2026–27 season. The first three were already part of the squad during the Kroos–Modrić era, while Silva, 32, arrived this summer on a free transfer and already looks set to play a rotation role.
For much of the spring and summer, widespread expectation held that Real Madrid would solve their midfield problem by landing one of the finest players in the world at that position: Rodri.
However, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner ultimately chose to join fierce rivals Barcelona over Los Blancos — though Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has offered his own take on how events unfolded. For Ancelotti, Rodri would have been a superb fit at Real Madrid.
"Yes, Rodri fits in every team in the world," Ancelotti said, before adding that "with or without Rodri, Real Madrid will be competing until the very end as always."
The Lille manager also noted that "Real Madrid's recent history shows why Mourinho is the ideal manager for this moment." When the Portuguese tactician arrived for his first stint at the Bernabéu, he was tasked with breaking Barcelona's stranglehold on Spanish football — a challenge remarkably similar to the one he faces upon his return this summer.
Now, however, Mourinho must accomplish what Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa all failed to do over the past two years: guide Los Blancos to their first major trophy in the post-Kroos era.