Reunion in the Supercup between Real and Frankfurt: What unites the world champions Kroos and Götze
Toni Kroos and Mario Götze were reunited in mid-July – at least on the microphone. In the podcast “Einfach mal Luppen” by the brothers Toni and Felix Kroos, Götze was invited as a guest, since he was just a newcomer to Eintracht Frankfurt. They chatted about the Bundesliga return of the 2014 World Cup final scorer, his challenging time in Holland at PSV Eindhoven and his relationship with his ex-coach Jürgen Klopp. This Wednesday (9 p.m., RTL and DAZN [Anzeige]) Kroos and Götze meet again on the pitch for the first time in almost five years – as opponents in the European Supercup between Champions League winners Real Madrid and Europa League winners Frankfurt.
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The last duel between the two professionals dates back to September 2017 in the group stage of the premier class between Borussia Dortmund and Real. There have already been seven games between the two. Götze played for BVB and won the first two when Kroos played for Bayern. Kroos won three of the other five: two in the dress of Munich, the last five years ago with Real. Two matches end in a draw. The balance speaks with three to two victories as a prerequisite for the Madrid professional.
Götze and Kroos were clearly on the field as teammates. They played 33 games together in the FC Bayern Munich jersey in the 2013/14 season before Kroos switched to the royal team. Then came the shared highlight when they lifted the World Cup trophy on the night of Rio de Janeiro in July 2014. There were 46 games together in the German national team from November 2011, a nice 0-0 draw against Sweden in Gothenburg, until November 2017, when they last played together under British national coach Joachim Löw in the 2-2 win against France.
To date, Götze has not made another appearance in a Germany jersey. Kroos ended his DFB career after the round of 16 at the European Championship last year. When the native of Greifswald announced this decision, he faced a lot of opposition. His former companion, who had slowly regained his old strength at PSV Eindhoven, defended Kroos against burgeoning criticism. This is “a great international player” who “brings tremendous quality to the pitch”.
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Alone: The two are not said to have a particularly close bond. The sporting development is also far apart. While the celebrated more and more successes year after year and is now the most successful German title collector (including five times Champions League and three times champion in Spain and Germany), the other had to cope with some setbacks. Kroos became a celebrated hero in Madrid, Götze had to keep fighting back – also because of health problems. In the summer of 2020, he no longer got a contract with BVB and took the step out of the limelight to Eindhoven.
Despite their different career paths, Götze and Kroos have had one thing in common: they were never really admired in Germany, despite the 2014 World Cup triumph. One clears one title after the other, but either has to be labeled as “cross pass Toni” or receive harsh criticism from Bayern’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß (“Has no place in this football anymore”). Most recently, he complained after the Champions League victory ZDF-Reporter Nils Kaben about the crazy appreciation in his homeland because he thinks he asks critical questions.
Götze still hangs after the World Cup hit today
The other WILL always be measured against the goal of eight years ago that has remained in the collective memory. In an interview with the French L’Equipe in June of this year, Götze spoke about the fact that he is still regularly associated with it: “Sometimes people tell me when they pass me on the street.” Ultimately, that made it difficult for him with those associated with him Always keeping up with expectations. He missed unrestricted appreciation in this country, as did his ex-colleague Kroos.
When the paths in the Supercup cross again in Helsinki, around 950 kilometers north-east of the place where the DFB team played their first game together, the role of favorites is pretty clear. Not just after Eintracht’s 6-1 defeat in the Bundesliga opener against Bayern would be anything but a surprise for Real. Either way, the focus in the duel will be directly on Götze and Kroos – but this time only one of the two international titles will win.
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