Germany's midfield great Toni Kroos says 'uncontrolled' immigration has 'overwhelmed' his homeland and insists his daughter is safer living in Spain as he retires after Euro 2024 defeat

Germany's midfield great Toni Kroos has said 'uncontrolled' immigration has left his homeland unrecognisable and believes his daughter is safer in Spain.

The ex-Real Madrid star, who left his home nation ten years ago to play for the Spanish giants, returned to Germany this summer to play for his country in the Euro 2024 tournament.

In an interview recorded before Germany lost 2-1 to Spain in the quarter-finals last week - in what was his final professional match - Kroos said he welcomed migrants, but said Germany had not been successful in managing mass immigration.

He compared Spain with Germany and, when pressed on the issue by the hosts of the conservative-leaning podcast he was speaking on, agreed that he felt there had been a 'loss of control' with regard to immigration to his country.

'I believe that this control over certain issues has simply slipped away a little over the years and there's a reason for that,' he said, according to The Times.

'In my opinion, the reason is that people have overwhelmed them.'

He did say that it was 'great' that Germany had welcomed migrants with open arms, but added: 'it was just too uncontrolled'.

'I think we didn't manage it, this basically very positive approach that I support 1000 per cent, because I find that sensational, that people come to us from the outside and then are happy,' he told the podcast. 

He also said: 'I think Germany is a great country and I'm happy to be here, but it's not really the same country that it was 10 years ago when we left.' 

The retired footballer told the podcast that he feels his daughter is safer in Spain.

He said that as his seven-year-old daughter gets older, he would rather she go out for a night out in Spain than in his homeland.

'I wouldn't have had that 10 years ago,' he added. 

'Clearly when many people come, there is always a percentage who do not do us good, just as there is among Germans.'

At the end of the interview, Kroos said he would be staying in Spain, despite retiring from Real Madrid at the end of the club season in June with a win in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at London's Wembley Stadium.

As with many European Union countries and others in the region, the issue of immigration has proven divisive in German politics in recent years.

Political parties have been split over how to tackle the issue after former Chancellor Angela Merkel allowed one million migrants to enter in 2015.

More recently, current chancellor Olaf Scholz's 'traffic light' coalition has passed reforms allowed dual citizens. 

Those on the right of German politics led the backlash against Merkel, leading to growing support for the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

The AfD recently came second in European election in Germany, reflecting a trend seen in other countries that are also struggling with the issue of migration.

That trend was bucked slightly on Sunday when Marine Le Pen's National Rally party came third in French legislative elections, to the surprise of many.

Several French footballers intervened in their homeland's politics in the run up to the French elections, including superstar striker Kylian Mbappe, who called on his compatriots to reject 'extremists' on the ballots. 

'I think that more than ever, we have to go and vote, it is really urgent, we cannot leave our country in the hands of these people, it is really urgent,' Mbappe said.

'We saw the results of the first round, it's catastrophic. We really hope that this will change and that everyone will mobilise to vote... and vote for the right side.'