Toni Kroos describes his role in the Germany team

Toni Kroos has been describing his role in Germany's national team set-up ahead of UEFA EURO 2020.

The Real Madrid midfielder is one of Die Mannschaft's most experienced players with 102 international caps and was part of the squad that won the 2014 World Cup.

When asked of his relationship with the younger players in the squad, he said: "Yes, it’s good. Of course I try to lead by example in certain situations. In my eyes, this has a lot to do with individual performance. If you don’t perform, you are not in the place to tell other people what to do.

"It’s also about serving as an example of professionalism, which is important in order to succeed at tournaments and for the team to function in general. Leading by example means giving all the others the feeling that you are always there for them, especially on the pitch, that you are present in every situation. If they are struggling, you give them a hand, you let them know you are there to receive the ball.

"These are things that demonstrate a stability and a sense of unity on the pitch. Other players who are not as experienced and who haven’t played as many tournaments yet see that you are confident, you’re there and they can easily pass you the ball even in difficult situations.

"I think those are important signals for players who are rather new to the squad. I’m trying to serve as an example in this regard and to give a certain security to the team, particularly in difficult situations.

"This will be important for the course of the next tournament as well. No one has ever played a tournament winning every game brilliantly and convincingly. Problems will come up during the tournament, there will be difficult matches.

"In fact, we start straight away with difficult matches and these things play an important role there."