In the Spanish training camp there is one phrase that is repeated: “Pedri is very important for us.” And the Canary Islander is grateful for the gesture of his teammates. After it was confirmed on Saturday that he suffered a grade 2 sprain in his left knee after the hard tackle by Toni Kroos in the quarter-final match, the Barça player decided to stay in Germany. “The dream, do not doubt it, continues. This week it is time to cheer and contribute in another way to this great family that is the National Team,” Pedri, who is accompanied by his family, posted. He also had a message for Kroos: “This is football and these things happen. Your career and your achievements will remain forever.”
Winner of six Champions League titles, a record he shares with Carvajal, Modrić, Nacho and Paco Gento, Kroos announced that he was quitting football after the European Championship. In the match against Spain, the German was more intense than usual. In fact, he finished the match against La Roja with five fouls, his highest number in the 33 games he had played with the Mannschaft between European and World Cup tournaments. In one of these fouls he injured Pedri (minute 6), in another he stepped on Lamine Yamal (minute 12). In any case, the referee did not show him a yellow card for any of them. He was cautioned for his fifth foul, on Dani Olmo in the 66th minute.
In the dressing room of La Roja, there was a lot of complaining about the referee’s passivity. “The Germans were very aggressive. It’s hard to understand why they didn’t give him a yellow card earlier,” said one of the leaders of the Spanish group, referring to Kroos. “It seemed like the referee didn’t want to send him off because it was his last game,” said the same source from the Spanish group. Publicly, however, Unai Simón avoided pointing the finger at Kroos. On the contrary. The Spanish goalkeeper praised the German player. “I don’t think so,” replied the Athletic goalkeeper when asked if the Germans had played “dirty” in Stuttgart. “They kicked the ball out in one situation, and we didn’t in another. Saying it was a dirty game is a very harsh word. German fans can be very proud of their team.”
In his farewell letter to football, Kroos had a gesture for Pedri. “I’m sorry and I hope you get better soon! Obviously, I didn’t mean to hurt you. A speedy recovery and all the best. You are a great player,” he posted on his social networks. Football recognises Kroos, now also in Germany. At last. “It was about time you were recognised in Germany,” stressed the footballer’s wife. Known as Querpass-Toni(horizontal pass Toni), the now ex-Madrid player had a tough time in his homeland. But he was patient. “Selling Kroos to Madrid was the biggest mistake in Bayern’s history,” described German legend Lothar Matthäus. Nagelsmann added his praise: “Everyone sees the successes he has had, but as a German player he is something unique, someone for eternity.”
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