Kroos savages Saudi Arabia transfers as "ruining football" in human rights claim
Toni Kroos has criticised players moving to Saudi Arabia by claiming that it is “ruining football” while he would not go there due to human rights issues.
The Real Madrid midfielder’s comments come a week after he labelled the decision of Gabri Veiga to leave Celta Vigo for the Middle East as ‘embarrasing’. Veiga had been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool this summer while a deal was Napoli was in place before he joined Al-Ahli.
Based in Jeddah, Al-Ahli have been one of the most active Saudi clubs in the summer transfer window. A multitude of Euro-based players have moved to Saudi Arabia this summer in a concentrated recruitment drive by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of the nation funding transfers.
Roberto Firmino, Edouard Mendy, Franck Kessie, Allan Saint-Maximin, Merih Demiral, Riyad Mahrez and Roger Ibanez have all left European clubs for Al-Ahli this summer – while multiple others have also moved to Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo began the trend by joining Al-Nassr in January, while the likes of Sadio Mane, Fabinho, Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves, Alex Telles, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sadio Mane and Neymar have all moved to Saudi – with Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah also linked.
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Kroos explained to Sports Illustrated that a lack of human rights in Saudi Arabia is “the one thing that would stop me from making such a move.” However, the midfielder added: “Everyone has to make this decision for themselves, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, who decided to do so towards the end of his career.
“But it becomes very difficult when players who are in the middle of their careers and have the quality to play for top clubs in Europe decide to make such changes. And then it is said that it is an ambitious sporting decision to go there, but the truth is that it's all about the money.
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Kroos labelled Veiga's decision to move to Saudi Arabia as "embarrassing" on social media (Instagram)“In the end it's a decision for the money – and against football. And from there it starts to get difficult for the football we all know and love.”
Kroos, 33, has played at the top level of European football for the entirety of his career. He spent seven years in the first-team squad at Bayern Munich before joining Real Madrid in 2014, where he has been an integral part of the team for nine years.
Having also won 106 caps for the German national team – with whom he won the World Cup in 2014 – Kroos has ensured he has played in football’s most prestigious tournaments across the entirety of his career and is not shy in expressing his views on the direction of the sport.
The central midfielder, regarded as one of the most technically gifted and positionally aware midfielders of a generation, has frequently spoken about his desire to retire at Real Madrid and to hang up his boots when he believed he could no longer operate at the top level.
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