Real Madrid wins the Champions League against Liverpool at the Stade de France. It is already the fifth triumph for world champion Toni Kroos. He beams with happiness before he comes to the interview. The situation escalates on the ZDF microphone, and Kroos can hardly be calmed down.
When Real Madrid finished their football fairy tale, when the happy ending brought the royals the pot for the seventh time, world champion Toni Kroos stood alone on the lawn and smiled. He smiled to himself in disbelief. Although the former international knew only too well what it feels like to be the king of Europe, this fifth win against Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool FC (1-0, Vinicius Junior, 59th minute) was something very special. For the first time in Paris, the whole family was there. A historic moment that visibly moved the otherwise rather cool man from Greifswald.
The midfielder spoke about this just a few minutes after the final whistle in an interview with ZDF man Nils Kaben – before the situation on the Stade de France field escalated emotionally. “It will definitely have to sink in for a few days. I’ve won this trophy a few times, but this is a very special day for me because all my children (editor’s note: three) are in the stadium this time.” Luck was short-lived at that moment, because the conversation turned to sports – and Kroos was stunned.
“You had 90 minutes to think about sensible questions, then you ask me two shitty questions – that’s crazy,” barked the 32-year-old extremely upset into the microphone. He’d been asked why his team was in such distress against the furious but often underwhelming Reds on that historic Saturday night. “That’s not surprising,” Kroos scolded, “this is the final here! It’s really bad, really bad, really.” The camera had already panned away when the argument on the lawn could still be heard: “First you ask two negative questions. Then you know straight away that you’re from Germany.” After 45 seconds, Kroos broke off the interview, completely annoyed and angry.
In fact, Madrid weren’t the better team in Paris. Los Blancos were even clearly inferior, but what does that mean? Nothing. This incredible Real Madrid team had achieved and accomplished something this season that no one had ever thought they could. It had reached the final via Paris St. Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City and withstood the force of Liverpool FC there. With a unique heroic football, free from any innovation. Driven by passion, mentality and the self-image of being Real Madrid, a European giant that defies all swansongs.
The team has been written close to the abyss for years, but the old heroes don’t want to fall. This ensemble is still and always able to decide a game with its remarkable quality in all key positions. The match winner that evening was goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who made Liverpool despair several times with outstanding saves. Defense chief David Alaba, who switched to the royals in the summer of 2021 after twelve years at FC Bayern, was furious and kept his squad together at the back. That no one talks about his legendary predecessor Sergio Ramos – what an incredible achievement by the Austrian, who did everything right with his move.
But Kroos also delivered remarkably once again. It was his many small, clever passes that took the pressure off his team against the red pressing monster. Kroos also threw himself into every duel and made important fouls in the final phase in order to give the royals a moment to breathe. Casemiro, as an ultra-hard-working clearer, and Luka Modri?, at times a brilliant playmaker with his incredible calmness on the ball, also provided important heroic moments for the royals. And Karim Benzema? The best striker in the world right now? He plowed and ran, but didn’t shine. He did score one goal, but it was offside in a rather complicated way (as you can read about here).
It was Kroos’ fifth triumph in the premier class, catching up with record holder Cristiano Ronaldo. Incidentally, he quickly made his peace with the situation again, and in an interview with his colleagues from DAZN he was very relaxed. ZDF expert Per Mertesacker, who became world champion with Kroos in Brazil in 2014, expressed understanding after the interview: “I’ve also experienced negative questions after a positive outcome.” During the World Cup eight years ago, after beating Algeria in the round of 16, Mertesacker expressed his anger at questions and said the sentence that has become legendary in German football: “First of all, I’ll lie down in the ice bucket for three days.”
