Ahead of the Second Leg of Liverpool vs Madrid. Klopp Says Kroos Looks Like Schuster But Is More Dynamic And Quick

Toni Kroos (Twitter @realmadriden)

JAKARTA - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has compared Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos to Bernd Schuster as two German footballers who have had relatively successful careers in Spain.

Klopp was asked for comment about Kroos ahead of Liverpool hosting Real Madrid at Anfield for the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday local time (Thursday GMT).

"Oh, (Kroos) was one of the greatest German football talents for a long time. He's been a great player since he was young", Klopp was quoted as saying by Antara from Liverpool's official website on Tuesday night.

Klopp recalled Kroos' rubbed-in career at Bayern Munich's academy, after being recruited from Hansa Rostock's academy.

After returning from a loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen, Klopp rated Kroos as performing well with Bayern before making a bold move to the Spanish giants to become one of the most successful players in the world, both at the club and international level where he helped Germany win the 2014 World Cup.

"Of course it's been a very successful career so far and he hasn't aged too much, I think there's still a lot Kroos can achieve in his career", Klopp said.

Despite not knowing each other closely, Klopp rates Kroos as a figure he admires mainly for his footballing ability, which he calls similar to Schuster's.

Schuster spent at least 13 years in Spain, playing for Barcelona from 1980 to 1988, Real Madrid (1988-1990), and Atletico Madrid (1990-1993).

With Barcelona Schuster won six trophies, including one league title. At Real Madrid, he won four trophies, including two league titles. While at Atletico, Schuster has two Copa del Rey medals.

"Kroos's capabilities are very clear... like, I don't know if you know Bernd Schuster, another German player who was quite successful in Spain," he said.

"They have the same style of play, but it feels like Toni is more dynamic, faster. Maybe not a sprinter, but Kroos is difficult to control and can change the course of the game with his passes from his own defensive area, even in the final third of the pitch he is also observant of the gap in the past or the firing room", Klopp said at length.

In the first leg, Liverpool felt firsthand the quality of Kroos who also posted an assist when Real Madrid won 3–1 at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium, a week ago.