Toni Kroos, a player for Real Madrid, was seen celebrating winning the Spanish Super Cup with his teammates in Riyadh on Sunday without wearing a shirt with Arabic writing on it.
Kroos started in midfield for the 4-1 win over their fierce rivals and played for 81 minutes before being replaced by Luka Modric. He and his teammates were seen celebrating after the game as they took in yet another trophy.
But the German player was seen in a picture with other Real Madrid players. These players were all wearing a unique shirt that said “campeones” at the top and “Arabic” at the bottom. El Desmarque said that Kroos instead wore a normal shirt.
In the last week, Kroos made controversial comments that high-profile stars should move to Saudi Arabia for the money. This made Saudi fans angry.
He was famous for saying that Gabri Veiga’s choice to join Al-Ahli was “embarrassing,” since the 21-year-old player had been linked with Liverpool, Manchester United, and Napoli before he made his decision.
“It’s been said that they play ambitious football there, but it’s all about the money,” the German told Sports Illustrated. It’s a choice between the money and sports in the end.
“The football we all know and love starts to have trouble at that point.”That’s a choice that only the person making it can make, like Cristiano Ronaldo did near the end of his career.
“However, it’s hard when players in the middle of their careers who are good enough to play for the best clubs in Europe choose to make those changes.”
It got worse for Kroos when he came off the bench during Madrid’s 5-3 win over rivals Atletico Madrid in the semi-final. Fans in Saudi Arabia booed him every time he touched the ball.