Toni Kroos did not have his most pleasant night as a footballer this Wednesday. It was not because of a defeat or a poor performance by his team, since Real Madrid is in the final of the Spanish Super Cup (5-3). The problem is understood by the constant boos that the German had to suffer from the Saudi public.
“It was fun today. An incredible crowd,” Kroos posted ironically on his social networks after playing the first Super Cup semi-finals. The German has publicly shown on more than one occasion his disagreements with Arab football, as well as his reluctance to end his professional career in the Middle Eastern country. A stance that he responded to in the form of boos at the Al-Awwal Park stadium in Riyadh.
"Football players have to make that decision for themselves, like Cristiano Ronaldo, who did it in the final stage of his career. But it becomes very difficult when players who are in the middle of their careers and have enough quality to be in "The best clubs in Europe decide to accept these transfers. That's when this starts to be difficult for the sport that we all love," said the midfielder in an interview for Sports Illustrated.
The German was referring to the signing of Gabri Veiga for Al-Ahli of the Saudi Pro League that occurred last August. The Merengue '8' also described the arrival of the Galician to the Arab team as “shameful”. On the other hand, the German player also stated on his day that he would "never" play in Saudi Arabia: "the lack of human rights would prevent me from doing so."
Kroos was not in the game for Ancelotti this Wednesday and entered the field in the 67th minute to replace Luka Modric. From then on, the Bavarian player suffered a loud whistle every time he touched the ball, missed a pass or went to the touchline to take a corner. A situation that the midfielder could suffer until 2029, since the Spanish Super Cup will be played on Saudi lands at least until that year.
Much of the public present at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh not only showed gestures of disapproval towards Toni Kroos. He also did the same during the minute of silence that was observed in the first semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup for the death this week of Franz Beckenbauer, former international soccer player and football legend.
