Germany kicked off their defence of the World Cup on Sunday in Russia with a difficult 1-0 defeat against a vibrant Mexico side.

The Germans always seem to have outstanding talent pouring out of their squad and this year is no different in that regard.

From returning captain Manuel Neuer and Mats Hummels to the likes of Mesut Ozil, Marco Reus and Thomas Muller going forward, Joachim Low is spoilt for choice.

One star who has been a world-class footballer for many years now as well as the heartbeat of Germany's team is Toni Kroos.

Germany need to improve, but before the Group F loss, midfield maestro Cesc Fabregas highlighted his biggest quality and what makes Kroos so great.

Kroos control

Kroos was a top player at Bayern Munich but he's taken his game to another level for both club and country since joining Real Madrid in 2014.

The 28-year-old has been a key part of Los Blancos winning three Champions League titles in a row and he clearly has a huge fan in Fabregas.

Fabregas analyses Kroos

The Chelsea man was in the BBC studio for their coverage of Germany 0-1 Mexico, and the Spaniard analysed Kroos prior to kick-off.

Having picked out clips of Kroos in action, Fabregas said: "Toni Kroos makes football look simple. He is always available and calm on the ball."

The 31-year-old then identified the Madrid man's best quality, adding: "His biggest quality is that he always plays the ball forward.

"If the movement (in front of him) is right, he will find you. He is the type of player that would always be in my team."

As Fabregas alluded to, Kroos regularly dictates the tempo of matches with his coolness in possession, wonderful passing range and lovely technique.

Lots of central midfielders in the modern game are happy to keep things safe, pass the ball sideways and not risk losing possesion, but Kroos isn't like that.

The classy customer, who hit the bar against Mexico, will be hoping his country can pick up three points when they face Sweden on Saturday.

Do YOU agree with what Fabregas said about Kroos? Do YOU think he's the world's best midfielder? Can Germany retain the World Cup? Have YOUR say in the comments box below!