Kroos gets pally with the president

Toni Kroos was the talk of the town during a ceremony in Berlin at which Germany's World Cup winners were presented with the Silver Laurel Leaf, the highest sporting honour awarded in the country.

German president Joachim Gauck and chancellor Angela Merkel led what was an extremely special occasion and handed the distinctions out to Joachim Löw's squad.

Given his recent performances for Real Madrid, Kroos is the flavour of the month both in La Liga and back home, ensuring that he was one of the players to take centre stage during the ceremony.

The interest in Kroos was cranked up by the fact that Gauck and the midfielder both hail from Rostock, so the former Bayern man could be seen chinwagging with the president, quite possibly sharing anecdotes about their hometown.

Furthermore, Germany coach Löw had special words of praise for Kroos, congratulating him personally on his fantastic start to life at the Bernabéu. The speed with which the 24-year-old has come into his own at Real has surprised even his international teammates, who have been impressed by how seamlessly he has adapted to a different position than the one he usually occupies for his country.