Confident Kroos

Suddenly Kroos' face darkens. His friendly smile disappears, wrinkles gather around his brow and he shuffles uncomfortably on his chair. With narrowed eyes, he looks sternly at the man opposite him, almost as if he's an opponent. And in that moment, he appears to be just that as the journalist in question asks Kroos why he had played so much better against Portugal than in many big games beforehand.

"You must not have seen that many games of mine then, to be honest," replies Kroos with a snap before adding, "it isn't that long ago that I played in a cup final and that went just as well, as it did in many Champions League games."

The journalist persists though, saying he was asking primarily about Germany games. Even quicker than before, Kroos replies by asking the journalist in which important games for Germany he had underperformed. The journalist has no reply. Kroos is left victorious, as was the case on Monday night when Germany dismantled Portugal. Yet this insight is more than a metaphor for a high-passing percentage. It's also an insight into Kroos the footballer.

The Bayern midfielder has regularly stated that how he is perceived is not important to him. He's not perturbed by the fact he's often undervalued in Germany's footballing media.

"It was always important to me what the manager and those around me on the pitch thought of me," says Kroos, who appears far more mature than the 24 years he has to his name. Kroos also adds that he doesn't want to assess himself, preferring instead to leave that to the manager. Yet it seems as though Kroos doesn't want to have to put up with the verbal or written criticism anymore. And why should he deal with the suggestion that he disappears in big games?

Records against Portugal

After all, his performance against Portugal was exceptional. In Germany's first World Cup game, one that was preceeded by enormous pressure on Coach Joachim Löw and his team, Kroos was both the conductor and the anchor. He ran 11.7 kilometers (7.3 miles) and 47 sprints during the game - both of which were the highest in the match. Kroos himself was surprised by these numbers, because normally he doesn't run as much - another swipe at his critics. More important than the meters he covered was his destructive passing game, he said. Seventy-six of his 79 passes reached their targets, leaving him with a 96% pass success rate. Toni Kroos, who picked up an assist after perfectly placing a corner onto Mats Hummels head for Germany's second goal, earned the playmaker title against Portugal.

Rostock to Munich

The fact that Kroos sees things differently from his critics is far from surprising. Unlike most traditional playmakers, Kroos often drops deep into his own half, defends, wins the ball back and launches the attack. Working with the slightly more attacking defensive midfielder Sami Khedira, Germany's midfield purred against Portugal. It seems likely that the pair will start against Ghana on Saturday (1900 UTC) too. With captain Philipp Lahm's starting spot as secure as ever, it looks like Bastian Schweinsteiger will once again be looking on from the bench.

"Become world champions"

When considering the Germany squad, Toni Kroos is well aware of the situation.

"We have a brilliant squad. It's normal that there will be hardships now and again. But we need everyone in this type of situation." And he's not wrong either. In Fortaleza, Germany are expecting a warmer climate than in Salvador, as well as a robust Ghanaian side. It could be a case for Löw and the "special power" of his bench.

Kross also doesn't share the fear expressed by some that after Germany's fantastic start against Portugal could fall victim to complacency.

"What's important is that we know what needs to be done and that our feet stay on the ground. As of today, we've achieved nothing." Kroos has long seen the big picture, and the midfielder sees the first game as nothing more than the first step towards the greater goal.

"We all came here with the aim of becoming world champions." And it it will based on those words that Toni Kroos will have to measure himself.