Toni Kroos left Bayern Munich for Real Madrid in 2014 for around £26million and has since established himself as one of the world’s best midfielders.
The Germany international has been an ever-present at the Bernabeu since his switch, winning one La Liga and two Champions League titles.
His departure is one of contention for many Bayern fans who feel the club should have broke the bank to keep the 27-year-old.
However, Kroos’ good friend and former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Stefan Reinartz has claimed his departure was not entirely about money.
And he has revealed a conversation between Kroos and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in which he told the midfielder he was not world class was the catalyst for his exit.
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“Toni is a friend of mine, and I know the whole story,” Reinartz said.
“It was a little bit about money. Bayern Munich offered Toni a new contract.
“Toni knew what Mario Gotze was earning at Bayern Munich, Toni and Mario Gotze are [roughly] the same age but Bayern Munich didn’t want to pay Toni more than €10million [£8.8m].
“Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Toni, ‘We won’t pay you more than €10million a year because you’re not a world-class player.’
“If you know Toni, it’s not about money. He needs the confidence of other people.
“He knew he was a very good player, a world-class player and that was the breaking point.”
Kroos has since made 154 appearances for Real in all competitions and is under contract at the Bernabeu until June 2022.