Connect with us

SPORTS

Toni Kroos to retire early after Germany’s defeat to Spain

Published

on

By


Toni Kroos after the Euro 2024 quarter-final between Germany and Spain, in Stuttgart, July 5, 2024. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Ilkay Gündogan knew it. Every match of the Mannschaft could be the last for his teammate Toni Kroos. But it was not necessary to think about it, said the German captain, on the eve of the quarter-final of Euro 2024 against Spain. Friday, July 5, in Stuttgart, when the Englishman Anthony Taylor whistled the end of the game in the Mercedes-Benz Arena, what was only a possibility materialized. The giant screens showed 1-2 in favor of the Roja, at the end of an intense fight of one hundred and twenty minutes. At that moment, the adventure of the locals in the tournament ended. And with it, the career of its emblematic midfielder.

Read also | Spain-Germany: relive the Spanish qualification against the host country

Add to your selections

Did the public have this fact in mind at kick-off? Hadn’t his name been pronounced with a little more insistence than those of his teammates when the starting eleven of the Mannschaft was revealed? And what about the “Toni, Toni” came down from the stands when the player in question was taking a corner, preparing a free kick, or when he found himself crippled with cramp at the very end of the match? On Friday, Toni Kroos did not play his best match, far from it. But the physical commitment he showed, particularly in defense, demonstrated his determination not to give up until the end.

Unlike the 2006 World Cup, where, before the round of 16 between France and La Roja, the Iberian media had vainly promised to hasten Zinédine Zidane’s international retirement, this time, centre forward Joselu and midfielder Pedri have kept their bet. The epilogue is different, but in many ways, the trajectory of the 34-year-old German is reminiscent of that of his elder. Like the French number 10, he will remain one of the great names of Real Madrid. Like him, he was the playmaker of a selection from which he had, for a time, withdrawn, before returning to the bedside of a group in difficulty. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Return under the impetus of Nagelsmann

For the man born in Greifswald (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) in January 1990, in what was still, for a few months, the German Democratic Republic, this came to fruition in February. Since the summer of 2021 and the elimination of his team in the round of 16 of the European Nations Championship by England, Toni Kroos had chosen not to wear the national jersey. But as soon as he was appointed to the German bench, in the fall of 2023, Julian Nagelsmann had made his return a priority.

The matter took some time. “He wanted to know the direction we wanted to give the team. (…) In one of our first exchanges, he told me that he would only come back if he felt that we could win.”the coach will explain later. “What interests me is to see if I can help Germany have a better tournament at home than what we might imagine based on recent performances.”the player will say for his part.

You have 47.9% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.

2024-07-05 19:33:59
#Toni #Kroos #retire #early #Germanys #defeat #Spain

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SPORTS

Champions League schedule and results, 2024-2025 season

Published

on

By

What is the 2024-2025 Champions League schedule? The new tournament format, which now includes 36 teams compared to 32 previously, promises more confrontations from the start of the competition. Find the complete schedule of matches and their results updated in real time in our table below.

During the league phase scheduled between September and December 2024, each club plays eight matches against different opponents, selected based on their UEFA ranking.

Then, the top eight teams in the rankings will advance directly to the round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will have to go through play-offs in January 2025. These knockout matches will begin in February, with the grand final scheduled for June 2025. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

For French clubs, including PSG, AS Monaco, Lille and Stade Brestois, the challenge will be to stay in the race for direct qualifications and avoid early eliminations.

The final of the competition will take place in Munich on May 31, 2025. We will then know the successor to Real Madrid where Kylian Mbappé now plays.

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading

SPORTS

Halftime show: Fifa is planning an event like in football at the next World Cup final

Published

on

By

In American football, the halftime show has long been part of the event. Appearances during the break have not been an issue in football so far – but that will change at the next World Cup.

Anyone who goes to the toilet or refills chips during half-time at the next World Cup final will miss something: As the world football association Fifa announces, from the next World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico there will be a half-time show in the final. What exactly the association is planning is still very vaguely worded in the announcement. FIFA is probably planning a musical performance modeled on the Superbowl in American football: This so-called half time show is probably the biggest stage that musicians have had so far. In recent years, megastars such as Coldplay, Rihanna and Bruno Mars have appeared at halftime.

FIFA wants to organize a halftime show together with an aid organization

Global Citizen acts as co-organizer. The aid organization is committed to combating extreme poverty around the world. “FIFA has made it its mission to promote football in all countries of the world and thereby have a positive influence on society,” explains the controversial FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Through this partnership, FIFA, together with Global Citizen, will unite the world of sports and entertainment to actively contribute to a better world. “We are committed to a series of joint actions that promote access to the game and encourage fans to advocate for positive change in their local communities,” Infantino continued. However, the association leaves it open exactly how a halftime show during the World Cup final should support Global Citizen or combat poverty in the world. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

“Eventization” of football is met with rejection in Germany

If FIFA presents an act as big as the NFL at the Superbowl, the football halftime show would actually immediately be in the same league as its US counterparts. In the USA, the show is one of the absolute highlights of the football final. It remains to be seen whether such a show will be received so positively by football fans who are more used to a simpler presentation of their sport.

In Europe and especially in Germany, the organized fan scene is extremely critical of the additional commercialization and “eventization” of sport. A resonant example is Helene Fischer’s act before the 2017 DFB Cup final. The artist was booed so mercilessly and loudly during her short appearance that her singing on the television was difficult to understand at times.

Source: FIFA press release

because

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading

SPORTS

Ugo Humbert-Arthur Fils, duel for a title in Tokyo between a calm player and another who doesn’t give up

Published

on

By

READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Difficult to find two courses as dissimilar as those of Ugo Humbert and Arthur Fils at the ATP 500 in Tokyo, but the rectilinear trajectory of the first will still cross the fractured line of the second, in the final, this Tuesday. Despite losing his first set of the week, Humbert (19th in the world) qualified without too much difficulty by beating Tomas Machac (54th) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. After having fought like a madman to eliminate Taylor Fritz and especially Ben Shelton, Son went through two tie-breaks with forceps to subdue Holger Rune. One wanders, the other suffers, but we will be treated to a happy ending. Even with a seven-hour time difference with France, this is a pleasure that we won’t shy away from.

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading

Trending

error: Content is protected !!