Jude Bellingham hopes that Toni Kroos will remain with the team following the Champions League final.

Jude Bellingham, the talented England international, has made a heartfelt plea to Toni Kroos, urging the Real Madrid legend to reconsider his retirement plans after Euro 2024. Kroos, the esteemed German midfielder, is set to make his final appearance for Los Blancos on Saturday, bringing an end to a glittering career that includes a World Cup triumph, four Champions League titles, and four La Liga crowns.

Kroos made the switch from Bayern Munich to Madrid in 2014, and Bellingham followed in his footsteps last summer, leaving Borussia Dortmund to join the Spanish capital club. As fate would have it, Dortmund will be Madrid’s opponents in the final.

In an interview with TNT Sports, Bellingham expressed his admiration for Kroos and his desire for the veteran to continue playing. “He’s been unbelievable, I think he said it himself, it has been one of his best seasons,” Bellingham said. “You know, I’m so fortunate to be here while he’s still at such a high level, and, you know, I’ve been begging him all year to stay.”

Bellingham also shared some of his favorite memories with Kroos off the pitch, particularly during their time together on European away trips. “Some of my best memories this year are of when we went away to the European games, and you are there for two days straight in the hotel and you don’t really have much to do,” Bellingham revealed. “So you end up chatting and you get on to finals from this year that year, different games in particular and I’m sat there like a kid. I’m eating up everything they’ve got to say, those are my best memories off the pitch this year.”

Madrid’s journey to the Champions League final included a thrilling 4-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich, Kroos’ former club. Now, the 14-time winners are set to face Bellingham’s former side, Dortmund, at Wembley.

Bellingham spoke highly of his old club, acknowledging the role they played in his development. “From the outside, everyone’s created a kind of storyline of me going against my old club and playing at Wembley back at home,” Bellingham said. “For me, I think it’s important that when the game comes up I take the emotion out of it as much as possible. There’s a lot of people that I have a lot of respect for there, you know, they gave me the chance to play at the highest level before anyone else.”

Bellingham’s impressive performances have earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s plans for Euro 2024. The midfielder is excited to represent Madrid at Wembley, a stadium he knows well. “It is a big factor (playing at Wembley),” Bellingham admitted. “I am big on the visualization stuff before the games. I like to go out and understand my surroundings and I think having it at Wembley helps because I’ve been there so many times and played there quite often for England. Like you said, even the changing rooms and stuff like that, you feel comfortable even though it might sound stupid, but yeah, it’s a big factor.”