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Toni Kroos has offered a harsh assessment of Germany’s disastrous 2026 World Cup campaign, claiming the national team no longer has a single world-class footballer capable of influencing games at the highest level.

The former Real Madrid and Germany midfield legend, who helped his country lift the 2014 World Cup, expressed disappointment at the current team’s inability to reproduce past glories. In his view, Germany’s early exit exposed a worrying decline in elite individual quality across the squad.

Lack of top-tier talent laid bare

After Germany’s shock elimination in the round of 32 against Paraguay, Kroos voiced deep concern about the overall talent pool available to coach Julian Nagelsmann. Speaking on his show ‘Kroos & Kroos: die WM unter der Lupe’, the retired star lamented that the German Football Association (DFB) no longer possesses the calibre of players who used to make the team one of the most feared in world football.

“We don’t currently have a single world-class player,” Kroos said candidly. “We have players with world-class potential, but potential doesn’t mean being world-class. The true world-class players are the ones deciding World Cup matches right now, the ones topping the goalscorers’ lists. We don’t have anyone there, and we have to admit that.”

Mental fragility and misplaced confidence

Kroos also criticised what he sees as a psychological weakness within the present squad, contrasting it with the mental toughness that defined Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning team. He argued that the current players fail to elevate their performance when it matters most and often fall into a trap of overconfidence.

The ex-Bayern Munich midfielder recalled that during his time with the national team, he always felt compelled to improve to achieve success. Reflecting on the defeat to Paraguay, he attributed the loss to a mix of uncertainty and arrogance, saying the players appeared to believe victory was inevitable: “We think we’re better than Paraguay – we’ll win somehow.”

German football’s lost identity

Former national team captain Michael Ballack echoed Kroos’s concerns, lamenting the erosion of traditional German virtues such as mental toughness and discipline. According to Ballack, these values once defined the nation’s footballing identity but now seem to have faded.

“Our virtues, which have always set Germany apart, have been somewhat lost,” Ballack remarked. “We start well, have ten or twenty good minutes, maybe even score a goal. But when we concede or make one mistake, everything collapses – and you’re left asking: why?”

Responsibility rests with the players

While debates continue about coach Julian Nagelsmann’s future, Ballack stressed that the main accountability for the 2026 World Cup failure should lie with the players. The former Chelsea midfielder argued that the current squad lacks the leadership and self-discipline required to handle the pressures of a major tournament.

Ballack clarified that while the coach plays a vital role, the players themselves must take greater ownership of their performances. “A coach is incredibly important in such a structure, but the players also manage a lot on the pitch – or at least, they should. This self-responsibility has to exist,” he said. “When the players look each other in the eyes, they know who they can count on, and which buttons need to be pushed.”