Toni Kroos: 'Refugees have now become uncontrollable'

Real Madrid and Germany National Team star Toni Kroos made statements on Saturday on the podcast program 'Lanz & Precht' by public broadcaster ZDF.

According to a report by Euronews, Kroos, who has lived in Spain since his transfer to Real Madrid in 2014, said that Germany is no longer the Germany of 10 years ago due to ongoing migration, while visiting his home country for EURO 2024.

Expressing concern about his daughter going out late at night, the former footballer stated that Spain is safer compared to his home country, and for this reason, he will continue to live in the capital despite having no remaining ties to Real Madrid, the club he bid farewell to with a Champions League victory.

Describing the issue of migration as a "problem" for Germany, Kroos emphasized that "the influx of refugees that has been going on for years has now become 'uncontrollable'." Acknowledging that some refugees "have a good heart," the veteran footballer said, "As long as there is no distinction made between 'good' and 'bad' among them, the divisions and disagreements in Germany will only increase further."

One of the program's hosts, Markus Lanz, supported Kroos's view, stating that "the number of refugees is increasing day by day" and that people who address this issue "cannot be accused of being racist."

According to the German Federal Statistical Office's 2022 data, the country's population is 83,286,950, and 14.6 percent of those registered in the system are people who arrived through migration. Immigrants who are German citizens were held responsible for 58.5 percent of violent incidents.

Most recently, on June 3, five people were injured in an attack at a rally organized by Pax Europa, a radical anti-Islam campaign group in Germany.

In a video that also circulated on social media, 29-year-old police officer Rouven L., who was stabbed multiple times, lost his life.

Following the attack, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was "deeply saddened" by the police officer's death. In a statement on X, Scholz said, "His commitment to the safety of us all deserves the highest recognition."

TONI KROOS'S CAREER

Kroos, who played the final match of his career against Spain, retired following the match which ended in a 2-1 defeat.

Throughout his 17-year professional football career, German midfielder Toni Kroos played for Bundesliga teams such as Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, as well as Real Madrid, the La Liga club with the most Champions League titles in the world.

Kroos scored 73 goals and provided 166 assists in his club career. He also celebrated 17 goals in 114 appearances for the German National Team.

The former footballer, who retired unexpectedly at the age of 34, packed achievements such as 1 World Cup, 6 Champions League titles, 6 FIFA Club World Cups, 5 UEFA Super Cups, 4 La Liga titles, and 3 Bundesliga titles into his 17-year career, and was named 'Footballer of the Year' in Germany in 2018.