Toni Kroos provoked FC Barcelona by saying that winning La Liga at its expense was “twice as good” … [+]
Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos provoked his club’s bitter rivals FC Barcelona by saying that winning the La Liga title at its expense was “twice as good”.
Madrid wrapped up the Spanish top flight crown last weekend after beating Cadiz 3-0 ahead of Barca losing 4-2 to Girona in a Catalan derby.
Los Blancos head coach Carlo Ancelotti cancelled plans to head to the Cibeles fountain and celebrate the conquest with one eye on this week’s Champions League semi final second leg against Bayern Munich.
Many players stayed behind at the Bernabeu to watch the Barca-Girona clash with friends and family, however, with Kroos explaining this on the Einfach mal Luppen podcast he hosts with his brother Felix.
“When Barcelona went 2-1 up, I was going home, but everyone told me to stay. Five minutes later they were 4-2 down. Not leaving was a great decision”, explained the midfielder.
Kroos said that “it was all quite crazy because Girona could also have gone 7-2”, and perhaps Barca manager Xavi Hernandez would share that opinion considering that he ranted post-match of how many of his players had not performed to their expected level or that required of the club.
Kroos revealed that the players celebrated the league title “a little, but not too much”.
While it is his fourth in Spain since moving from Bayern in 2024, Kroos is very proud of the conquest.
“It’s the feeling of having achieved something great”, he said, although he admitting that Madrid were so clear ahead “that it took away some of the emotion”.
“It is clear that, if I had had the choice, I would have preferred not to experience it in front of the TV. It doesn’t matter, combining it with a Barca defeat was twice as good,” he beamed, in remarks that are bound to please fans of his club and anger those of a Culer persuasion.
With a personal bonus of around $1.5 million on the loan for winning the treble, Kroos will now attempt to lift a record-equalling sixth European Cup at Wembley on June 1 providing his team can beat Borussia Dortmund.
