In the lead-up to what could be Toni Kroos's last match against the Spanish national team, Luis de la Fuente and one of the German midfielder's friends, Dani Carvajal, joked about the possibility of tying his feet to take away a key player from Germany.

"We had thought about tying his feet, but I'm not sure if UEFA will let us. We know what Kroos is capable of. We'll try to make sure he doesn't receive the ball easily and limit his passing options, staying very close with support. If they don't let us tie him, we'll work as usual," assured De la Fuente at the official press conference.

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The Spanish coach praised the German player: "Kroos is a super-class player, a footballer at a level that won't be left by football; they are the ones who leave when they want, and he, incomprehensibly, has decided that it should be now. He has contributed all his talent and charisma within the locker room; the security he transmits is contagious to his teammates. His return has been very good for Germany, and it's a shame he is leaving football because, as a fan, I would like to keep watching him play."

Carvajal, one of Kroos's opponents this Friday who knows him best after a decade together at Real Madrid, picked up the joke.

"I haven't spoken to him yet; I was waiting to see him before and after the match. I wish we could tie him up and make him unable to play. It's a very special match; he has been living in our country for more than a decade, and it's his last tournament. He will try to enjoy it to the fullest," he said.

Carvajal made it clear that Joselu's statements about "retiring" Kroos were a joke and emphasized that the German midfielder took them that way.

"Joselu's words were in a jocular tone; logically, we want to beat Germany, and that would mean Kroos's retirement, but it's nothing out of the ordinary," he declared.