MY ACCOUNT
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has explained why he grew frustrated by a reporter’s questions following Saturday’s Champions League final.
Kroos added a fourth Champions League trophy to his collection of silverware after helping Madrid to a 1-0 win over Liverpool in Paris.
The 32-year-old played the entire match for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, making three tackles, winning three fouls and completing a team-high 77 passes out of 83 attempted (92.8).
No Madrid player had more touches (92) or completed more passes in Liverpool’s half (34), while Kroos was also one of only five players to create a chance for the Spanish giants.
Madrid delivered a fine counter-attacking display, soaking up Liverpool’s pressure, though Los Blancos did rely heavily on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who made nine saves, including outstanding stops from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
That tally of saves is the most in a Champions League final since Opta began collecting date in the 2003-04 season, with Liverpool having 24 shots in total.
In a post-match interview with a German reporter, Kroos was asked if he had been surprised by how much Madrid had suffered.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder quickly grew frustrated and, when the line of questioning continued, refused to carry on with the interview, walking away from the reporter, stating: “Ninety minutes and you only come up with s***** questions.”
Speaking on the podcast he co-hosts with his brother Felix – ‘Einfach mal Luppen’ – Kroos explained his frustration.
“At the time I was just p***** off. I was p***** off at him,” Kroos said, as reported by AS.
“Of course we had [suffered]. They have to go through two or three phases of pressure, I also told him that when he asked the question.
“But that’s normal. What do you expect? That we dominate Liverpool for 90 minutes? They are a world-class team. We had to beat them and that’s what we did.
“I wouldn’t have said we put them up against the wall from the first minute to the 90th minute.
“I’m the first to say that it was a close game and Liverpool probably had a few more chances. But we won the game, like in the last few months.
“But instead I hear that we won unfairly. I don’t give a s*** in a final, you have to win it.”
