InterviewToni Kroos views Lionel Messi’s departure from FC Barcelona from the perspective of a Real Madrid player as ambivalent. In any case, it is “not good” for the Spanish league to lose another mega-star. There were no WhatsApp messages at Los Blancos because of Messi, Kroos said.
Kroos saw Messi as a rival in the Spanish league for seven years – Photo: IMAGO / Ulmer
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Kroos on Messi at PSG: “Unusual for everyone”
MADRID. In the first season, when Real Madrid had to do without Cristiano Ronaldo again after almost a decade, Real Madrid did not become the Spanish champions – and that as third in the table with a 19-point gap to FC Barcelona. And how will it work the other way around now, three years after the CR7 progression? With Lionel Messi, the Catalans have lost the figurehead on their side.
To demand that Real have to take advantage of this situation with their arch rivals and crown themselves LaLiga champion in spring 2022 is certainly not wrong. Whereby the incentive that a Barça with the Messi who has meanwhile migrated to Paris Saint-Germain not becoming a champion for the third time in a row, it would certainly have been even greater.
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– Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) August 10, 2021
Toni Kroos is one of those who viewed the greatest possible loss in the squad of coach Ronald Koeman from the point of view of Los Blancos. “The situation is certainly weird, it will be relatively unusual for everyone. To be honest, I don’t even know whether we should rate it as positive or negative from our real-life perspective “, the midfield strategist initially admitted in the new edition of “Einfach mal Luppen”, the joint podcast with brother Felix.
Kroos: Duels with Messi were “always fun”
“Of course, on the one hand, what is probably the biggest competitor is missing the best player. One would think: very positive. On the other hand, to be honest, I and we always prefer to measure ourselves against the best. It was always great fun playing against Barcelona with Messi “, said Kroos, who could not confirm that the team-internal WhatsApp group was talking about the departure of the 34-year-old Argentine: “Not at all.”
30 Clásicos with Cristiano Ronaldo and 45 Clásicos with Lionel Messi – more should and will be … read on
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Kroos shoots back and reveals: “Knew early on that Alaba was coming – from Real.”
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Ronaldo gone, Ramos gone, Messi gone: “Can’t be good”
Not only Barça would lose in the Causa Messi, but also the Spanish league, said Kroos: “It’s not great for the league’s reputation. Of course, he was also the figurehead of the Spanish league. Now after Cristiano left a few years ago, this summer (Sergio) Ramos and Messi too – it obviously can’t be good for the league if you lose guys like that. “
The cause of the separation: After the multiple world footballer’s contract expired on June 30, both parties agreed on a new one, in which Messi waived half of his salary. The Spanish league association LFP has now introduced a salary cap, which is 347 million euros at Barça. Despite giving up a lot of money, “la Pulga” simply didn’t fit into this structure any longer. Even without the attacker, the economically miserable Catalans still spend a whopping 95 percent of total income on player salaries.
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