Sidepass Toni Kroos? The German's 'crazy' nickname is interesting because it encapsulates how undervalued the Real Madrid legend has been, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI

There was the faintest smirk on Julian Nagelsmann's face on Tuesday evening when he was asked about the suitability of a nickname given to the old maestro within his squad.

Querpass Toni. That is what some over the years have taken to calling Toni Kroos and it translates roughly into Sidepass Toni. To the ear of Germany's manager it might as well be gibberish.

'Crazy,' was how he described such a label here ahead of Wednesday's second Group A assignment against Hungary, which follows the 5-1 thumping of Scotland.

It was in that game last Friday, in Munich, when Kroos created a quite astonishing statistic. Out of the 102 passes he attempted, 101 found their targets, and we should add here that those balls went near and far, sideways and forwards and on those long diagonals. 

Naturally, anything so cold as a number is no way to appreciate this kind of player, but it was the best ratio since they began keeping these records in 1980 and it was no distant outlier for one of the greatest midfielders of the modern era.

'He was very, very good,' said Nagelsmann. 'I think 99 per cent of his passes were completed and they weren't only sideways. That nickname is crazy. Crazy.

'Toni is still one of the top three players in the world when it comes to finding team-mates between the lines, creating chances and setting up goals.'

The nickname he has carried is interesting, not only for its inaccuracy but also as a means of encapsulating how Kroos's impact has generally been a little underappreciated, dismissed even, in some conversations.

He has long been a world-class player, most would agree, but he has tended to draw only muted support once the debate moves to those viewed as the absolute best of the best in that pass-master genre. Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Luka Modric have all seemed at one point or another to attract more vocal backing.

And yet it is no accident that Kroos has accumulated more trophies than almost anyone in the history of the game – a World Cup, six Champions League titles, 16 domestic championships and cups. That he came out of international retirement in March has also significantly raised the chances of Germany winning this tournament on home soil.

This has very much been positioned as his last dance, with his club career brought to an end by his choice after the Champions League final earlier this month, and this tournament is his final contribution to the national side.

He only agreed to come back when Nagelsmann, after three months of phone calls, convinced him there was a realistic chance of success. When Kroos relented, it was with a simple message: 'Let's rock.'

If the performance against Scotland proved a point, it is that he can still rock at 34, to the extent that Nagelsmann and Carlo Ancelotti are united in the view that he is planning to quit far too soon. 

The same can be assumed of Jude Bellingham, who planted an imaginary crown on Kroos's head after his assist in the Champions League final, and Vinicius Junior, for whom Kroos delivered one of the most exquisite passes of the season in the semi at Bayern Munich.

Kroos has tended to view the matter of his forthcoming departure differently, with his belief he would rather go out at the top and this competition offers that possibility.

Of all the favoured nations here, it was Germany who made the biggest impact on the opening round of fixtures, even it ought to be noted that Scotland were modest opposition in the extreme.

Hungary, competing under the overt political pressure of their prime minister Viktor Orban, will likely be stiffer opposition, especially on the rebound of their surprise 3-1 defeat by Switzerland. Their form in qualifying was strong, as is a squad led by their 23-year-old captain, Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai, and they beat the Germans the last time they played.

That was during Kroos's first 'retirement', but Germany have looked far better since his return in March. His team-mate, Maximilian Mittelstädt, repeatedly used the word 'security' in telling Mail Sport on Tuesday what Kroos brings, a man who 'elevates the side on and off the pitch' and brings success.

Querpass Toni? Maybe. But there's usually a trophy at the end of those passes.