“The heir of the 8” - Vinicius Jr asks Real Madrid teammate to take Toni Kroos' No.8 shirt after German veteran announces retirement

Vinicius Junior has asked Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde to be the heir to Toni Kroos' No. 8 shirt at the club.

Kroos recently announced that he will retire from professional football after the UEFA Euro 2024. The Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund will be Kroos' last club game as his stint in the Spanish capital is set to come to an end.

Fellow players have joined in giving Kroos the tribute he deserves. Fede Valverde also penned an emotional social media message for Kroos. Vinicius commented under the post (via Madrid Universal):

"The heir of the 8."

Kroos leaves behind a tremendous legacy at Real Madrid. Since joining the club from Bayern Munich in 2014, he has won 22 trophies with the club and could make it 23 by winning the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund. He is one of the finest midfielders of the modern era and is a bonafide legend of the club.

Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde's message for Toni Kroos

Fede Valverde played alongside Toni Kroos in the midfield since joining the club from Penarol in 2016. The Uruguayan has grown a lot in recent years and has partnered with Kroos and Luka Modric perfectly.

Valverde penned an emotional message for Kroos, calling the German his idol. He wrote (via Madrid Universal):

"I guess when we were kids we all had an idol. The one we admired, the one we saw on TV and thought, 'I want to be like that.'"

"And if we were children with lot of imagination, we could dream that we were playing ball with that idol, which was distant, untouchable, difficult to reach. That boy fulfilled his dream and played with the player he always had as an idol," he added.

Valverde added that he would have liked to play a decade more with Kroos. The Uruguayan added that he never stopped considering the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner as his idol.