Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos is not particularly known for holding his tongue, but has once again used his podcast as a platform to criticise the current state of the game. For the second time in the space of a week, the German star has criticised players moving to Saudi Arabia, accusing them of being mercenaries.
His feelings were made abundantly clear last week when news broke that Gabri Veiga would be leaving Celta Vigo for Al Nassr, despite having the chance to go to a number of other top clubs in Europe, calling the 21-year-old’s decision ’embarrassing’.
Kroos has dismissed the idea that Saudi Arabian football is anything other than a money grab. He mentioned human rights as ‘the only thing that would stop me from making such a move.’
“It has been said that the football there is ambitious, but it all revolves around money. In the end, it is a decision for money and against football,” Kroos remarked SI, as carried by Diario AS.
Kroos was less harsh on veterans who went their for a payday, namechecking former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
“That’s when it starts to be difficult for the football we all know and love, everyone has to make that decision for themselves, like Cristiano Ronaldo, 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 career and have the quality to play for the best clubs in Europe, decide to make those changes.”
Those sentiments have been shared by many in Europe, but the reality is that players have always followed the money in football, but until now, money from the United States and the Middle East had been filtering through European clubs. Now that another league is able to offer well above European rates, it seems unlikely that the flow of talent to Arabia will be halted. It’s also fair comment that those heading there are not doing so for professional challenges too though.
