The football community was taken aback by Toni Kroos’ surprise retirement. Within hours, a number of sports giants sent a heartfelt message for the German midfield player, specifically for his teammates.

Federico Valverde has now sent a heartfelt message for Kroos on his own social media account. His message is as follows:

“I suppose everyone of us had an idol when we were young. The person we looked up to, the one we saw on television and said, “I want to be like that.”

And if we were imaginative kids, we may have dreamed that we were playing ball with that idol, who was far away and hard to get near. I was that boy. The boy’s dream came true when he got to play with his all-time favorite athlete.

“I know that child and I, Toni, would have enjoyed playing with you for ten more years, but today I feel weird and have a lump in my throat. Because I was always the kid that looked up to you and never stopped.”

In their comments on the post, Vinicius and Alvaro Rodriguez urged the midfield player to assume the renowned number 8 jersey.

“The heir of the eight” and “Now it is your turn to follow the legacy brother” were the comments they left.

Though it was unclear if Valverde would be willing to keep his present number 15, earlier reports had already indicated that he would be the one to take Kroos’ place.

With Real Madrid, Valverde has participated in 256 games to date, tallying 21 goals and dishing out 23 assists.

In addition to the Uruguayan’s astounding stats, Kroos ranked the player among the “top three in the world” in 2022.

With Kroos’ support, Valverde’s Real Madrid campaign, and encouragement from his teammates to wear the storied shirt number, it is highly likely that the 25-year-old will choose to follow his childhood ambitions.