<span class="fcc003318px">Inch-perfect crosses crown the perfect start</span></p> It was back to the daily routine on Thursday for Toni Kroos. Ahead of the departure of the regional league team for Friday evening’s match at Sportfreunde Siegen, the 17-year-old dutifully hauled the drinks cases onto the bus. But on his Bundesliga debut the previous evening against Energie Cottbus, Kroos had underlined that he is called to higher things than being a water-carrier. “He’s a thoroughbred, he’s got an unbelievable touch with his right foot,” enthuses Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld about the midfielder who became the youngest player in the club’s history when he came on in the 5-0 victory against the bottom-of-the-table side at the age of 17 years, eight months and 22 days. “The accuracy of his crosses is not down to luck.” Bags of class Sent on in the 72nd minute for Zé Roberto, straightaway Kroos slotted seamlessly into the Bayern and delivered two spectacular, inch-perfect crosses for Miroslav Klose to score the fourth and fifth goals. “He came into the side as if he had been there forever,” Hitzfeld said, adding: “His crosses were absolutely fabulous, like a young Mehmet Scholl. He’s already a class act.” To get an idea of the impact of Kroos’s first appearance at the senior level of German football, you only had to open up Thursday’s Munich papers. Although substitutes usually only get a performance rating if they come on before the hour mark, Kroos was nevertheless awarded a top mark. “Ice-cool on his Bundesliga debut, he even laid on two goals for Klose,” exulted the Abendzeitung. “Top class!” Still two years with the juniors As the beneficiary of his skills, Klose had nothing but praise for Kroos. “If you see what he can already do in training at his age, you can only marvel – the boy’s got a great career ahead of him,” the German international says of the Rostock-born youngster who barely two weeks ago was being honoured as the best player of the just-completed Under-17 World Championship in South Korea, and who can still play in the junior ranks for another two years. “He’s taken the momentum from the World Championship and stepped on the accelerator,” says Klose, who now tops the Bundesliga goalscoring charts with eight. “It’s great to watch him play, he’s truly world class.” But the striker warns Kroos against getting his head in the clouds, “otherwise he might get carried away!” Hitzfeld seems to think the same. Asked how he might protect Kroos, he says simply: “By not talking about him.” Huge potential However, Hitzfeld finds it hard to restrain his enthusiasm about the technically accomplished playmaker. “He is one of the great German up-and-coming talents, we’ve known that for a while,” he says. “I’m thrilled that he’s had such a great Bundesliga debut. He’s got huge potential. And ‘The General’ adds: “He’ll play a few more games for us this season.” The priority, though, is to apply himself in Hermann Gerland’s regional league team and help win promotion to the third tier. The team can take the next step on Friday night in Siegen, with Kroos as playmaker, as creator, as finisher - and as water-carrier.</p> <span class="fcc003318px"></span></p> <span class="fcc003318px">Toni Kroos</span></p>
