After the triumph in the Champions League, Toni Kroos declared a television interview with ZDF over after a few questions. Of course, the German superstar in the service of Real Madrid has the right not to answer all questions – even after winning the biggest title in club football. And it might have been smarter not to first ask about the strength of the brave Liverpool FC after Real Madrid’s victory.
But it doesn’t show great sovereignty to dismiss the questions as “shitty questions” and then simply break off the interview.
Toni Kroos has often shown that he doesn’t deal well with criticism and quickly flares up – sometimes rightly so, as in the debate with Uli Hoeneß, who talked Kroos down after Germany’s semifinals at the European Championship against England (“Toni Kroos has nothing lost in this football.”). But: Whoever is at the top must be able to live with criticism and also answer questions that don’t sit well with him and also think of his fans, who helped make him big: Because of course they wanted to know what Kroos could do after a champion’s League final has to say.
No German footballer has won as many international titles as Toni Kroos, his skills on the pitch are still great even as a footballer. It is not for nothing that he still plays a key role at Real Madrid at the almost mature age of 32 as a footballer. But off the pitch, Kroos – like now on Saturday – sometimes comes across as a self-important stinky boot.
Certainly it is not his intention to establish this as his trademark. Because on the social networks he tries to let himself shine. Toni Kroos proudly presented himself with his latest trophy on his Twitter account on Sunday and wrote: “Make it 5”, alluding to his fifth title in the Champions League. “And take it easy,” you could answer Toni Kroos.
