Toni Kroos has targeted the plethora of players making the move from Europe to the Saudi Pro League – but he hasn’t managed to criticize former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Players like Neymar, Karim Benzema and Riyad Mahrez have all accepted lucrative offers from the Gulf state this summer – and the influx of talent is not set to end just yet as the Saudi Pro League transfer window doesn’t end until September 20.
And Kroos expressed disappointment at the motivations of some of the players who have traveled to the Middle East in recent months.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated Deutschlandthe 2014 World Champion explained:
“Everyone has to make that decision for themselves, like Cristiano Ronaldo (who joined Al-Nassr in January after leaving Manchester United) who decided to do it towards the end of his career.
“But it becomes very difficult when players who are in the middle of their careers and have the quality to play for top clubs in Europe decide to make such changes.”
“And then they say it’s an ambitious sporting decision to go there, but the truth is it’s all about the money. In the end, it’s a decision for the money – and against football. And from there it starts. “It’s going to be difficult for the football we all know and love.”
As for Kroos, who turns 34 next January, his current Real deal runs until next summer – a decade since his arrival at the Bernabeu after leaving Bayern Munich.
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2023-08-31 23:33:53
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