“I was directly a Nazi for a lot of people: blond, blue eyes…” – Real Madrid star

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has revealed he was being vilified as a Nazi in the aftermath of Mesut Ozil’s retirement from international football.

Ozil retired from international duty in 2018, alleging discrimination and disrespect by the German Football Association (DFB) and the German media.

In that aftermath, Kroos described claims of racism – over Ozil’s Turkish roots – in the German national team as “nonsense”, with the Madrid star adding: “I think he knows very well that racism within the national team and the DFB does not exist.”

Kroos has now revealed that he was the victim of cyber bullying in the aftermath of those claims, as he received abuse for his appearance.

The comments were made during a meeting with the president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, regarding online bullying and the impacts it can have.

Kroos is quoted by Marca as saying: “After the 2018 World Cup I said that I did not like the retirement of Mesut Özil and the manner in which he did it and then I was directly a Nazi for a lot of people: blond, blue eyes…everything fit for a lot of people.

“I managed to overcome it, nyone can hide behind a fake profile and then insult other people with almost no problem.”

Kroos, now aged 31, remains a mainstay of the German national team and he has accumulated 101 caps at international level while he also remains a key figure at club level for Madrid.

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