He was a member of the Bayern side that Heynckes led to a historic treble in 2013 and his former boss was sorry to see a player he holds in the highest esteem leave the Bundesliga champions.
"At the moment, there is no better player in his position in the world," the 69-year-old told Kicker. "Toni plays the midfield role so cleverly.
"I would have rather seen him remain at Bayern and I had advised him to.
"But in a telephone call during the World Cup he told me that the move was perfect. For him, personally, it's another step that suits him."
Indeed, Kroos has wasted little time in settling in the Spanish capital and is currently playing a key role in Madrid's club-record run of 16 consecutive victories.
Heynckes, though, is not in the least bit surprised that Kroos has already established himself as a key cog at a club he guided to Champions League glory in 1998.
"The top stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale know very well that they are even better with Toni in the team," he argued.
"In addition, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti has said that he has never seen a team with such wonderful character.
"So there have been no problems with integration for Toni."
Kroos and Madrid will be hoping to extend their remarkable run when they face Cornella in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday night.
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