Real Madrid icon Toni Kroos – “Germany is not the same country it was because of mass immigration”
Politics has been a major topic at Euro 2024 in recent weeks, and while Toni Kroos will watch the semi-final, an interview published shortly before the quarter-final against Spain has surfaced on social media. Turkey defender Merih Demiral and Mirland Daku were banned for having a far-right symbol and for insulting Macedonia and Serbia respectively. France's players have spoken in mass against the extreme right in his country during an election period.
Speaking on the Lanz and Precht podcast, Kroos said that Germany has changed since the last time he lived in the country in 2014, for which he partly explained with mass migration. His words were misspelled in several places, but Ken Early provided a detailed translation The Irish Times.
“My whole family is still in Germany, I think it's a great country, I like being here, but it's, at least, not quite the Germany it was maybe 10 years ago when we left.”
“Well, a feeling has definitely changed, a feeling, because I can't even contribute much more than a feeling … a feeling of … how can you express it best without being put in a corner (laughs) a feeling of … if I had to compare with Spain … “
“I have a 7-year-old daughter, for example. When she gets older, when she turns 13, 14, 15, and if someone asked me now, 'Would you leave your daughter out in Spain at 11 o'clock at night?' When she's 14 or in a big German city?', I think I would tend to favor Spain at the moment.
Kroos spoke positively about migration as a concept, but rather explained that it was not handled in the best way.
“Of many, this is my feeling, of many problems, I would say that this great problem of migration is also one – how should I put it – that one has the feeling that “it is full”. I think it is a clear topic. I think that … we've already shown, both in 2006 and today, the open arms with which this country welcomes people. And I think it's really great. I just think it was – I don't think so not that we managed to get this fundamentally very positive approach or idea, which supports 1000%, because I think it's sensational that people from outside come to us and are happy. But I think it was simply underestimated, and then in the end it was too uncontrolled.”
“Of course, when many people come there is always a percentage – and the Germans are the same, among the Germans there is also a percentage who are not good for us and are not good for themselves. And this is exactly the case with a lot of people coming. If you can't distinguish between those who are not good for us, then in the end it becomes difficult. And then, of course, the attitude of the Germans is more and more divided on this issue . Even the basic idea that people come – which we obviously need! – is sensational, and good.
Of course, Kroos is not one to be afraid to give his opinion on difficult issues, but as the extreme right records its best electoral results since Adolf Hitler came to power, it is a delicate and sensitive issue. in Germany.
