Real Madrid News
Real Madrid veteran heaps praise on Messi after World Cup final: “Totally deserves it”
Argentina become the first South American nation since Brazil in 2002 to lift the FIFA World Cup when they beat France on penalties.
Speaking after the game, Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, who was not part of the German side that got knocked out of the group stages of the competition, offered his thoughts on the World Cup final, while praising Lionel Messi for his outstanding performance.
“The best game of a World Cup that I have seen, I feel like I’ve played it myself,” said Kroos (h/t Real Total), who was part of the German team that played against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final.
Kroos, though, did not shy away from praising Messi for his outstanding career, suggesting that the Argentine deserved the World Cup.
“Messi totally deserves it. I haven’t seen an individual performance like his in this tournament. He didn’t play for clubs I like but I have to be honest,” he added.
While it was Kylian Mbappe who produced an outstanding display in the final, Messi played a key role as well, notably scoring two goals and initiating the counter that led to the second goal from Argentina. He was subsequently handed the Man of the Match, along with the Best Player of the Tournament award.
After praising Messi, Kroos offered his thoughts on France’s managerial post. He talked about the idea of Zinedine Zidane potentially replacing Didier Deschamps, but suggested that the decision will solely rely upon the decision of the current French boss.
“I’m trying to put my mind to it because I read Deschamps can choose whether to continue or not. I am trying to think how much this result will affect him,” he said.
Kroos backed Zidane to take the job, adding, “I definitely believe that ‘Zizou’ would not only be a good option but also the ideal replacement. Now the question is: what does Didier want? Let’s put it this way: I believe 70:30 that ‘Zizou’ will be the new coach. He is definitely in the mood to train again.”
Arda Guler’s Real Madrid stint has not gotten off to the start he would have hoped to have given the expectation that preceded the transfer.
Having joined in the summer after Real Madrid outbid their competition to win him over from Fenerbahce for a 20-million-euro fee, buzz was high as the winger was expected to slot into the team quite seamlessly, albeit on a rotational basis.
Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, he has been constantly marred by injuries since completing the move.
Reports have stated that after Guler picked up his third injury since his move, Real Madrid have been concerned and want to take things slow with the player to ensure he is fit as soon as possible after an injury to his quadriceps this time.
The Turk is yet to make his competitive debut for the club, and Real Madrid even sacked their medical chief in November, in light of their injury crises since the beginning of the season.
No loan deal for Guler
However, according to Fabrizio Romano in a recent YouTube video, he states that Madrid maintain full trust and patience in the youngster.
Despite his bad luck with injuries, the latest of which he is scheduled to return from after Christmas, the Galacticos have no intention of loaning out Guler to Turkish clubs despite lots of speculation of them doing so of late.
Romano states that Madrid remain firm on not shaking things up too much with the squad, and they want to keep their roster stable, including Arda Guler.
They want to extend their full support and protection to the player as he aims to return to full fitness and finally make his bow for Madrid either by the end of this month or in 2024.
