Toni Kroos is one of the best midfielders on the planet and is known for having a great mentality when it comes to matters on the pitch. The German was under the spotlight for calling out UEFA and FIFA on a podcast with his brother.
He has further been the target of news headlines for criticism of rehearsed celebrations, as performed by a lot of fellow players.
Speaking about the celebrations after scoring a goal, Kroos went on and had a shot at Barcelona striker Antoine Griezmann and Arsenal talisman Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
“If there are rehearsed dances or choreographies, I think it’s very silly. Or even worse: If there are any objects hidden in studs. Mr Aubameyang celebrated this and took out his mask. That’s where it stops with me.”
The midfielder criticised Griezmann’s Fortnite dance celebration, which is one of his many post-goal routines.
Instead, Kroos talked about the beauty in the simplicity of celebrating goals, citing legendary Germany striker Gerd Muller as an example. He argues that when Muller “jumped up and pulled up his pants, it was still a real joy.”
The Real Madrid player mentioned Aubameyang by name and further went on to call him a poor role model. The Gabon international has since responded to Kroos’ comments on himself on Twitter.
Aubameyang first asked Kroos if he had actually said all those things, and later put out a Tweet defending his actions and explaining the sentiment behind his elaborate celebrations. Kroos has still not responded to any of the messages publicly yet.
This is what the Arsenal man had to say about pulling out the Black Panther mask after scoring against Rennes in the Europa League a few years ago:
‘I needed a mask which represents me and that’s the Black Panther. In Gabon, we call the national team the Panthers”
While there is no harm in expressing happiness in different ways, Kroos definitely likes the old-fashioned way of celebrating goals.
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