German midfielder Toni Kroos has said “uncontrolled” immigration has made his home country unrecognisable and he is confident his daughter will be safer in Spain.
The former Real Madrid star, who left his homeland to play for the Spanish giants ten years ago, returned to Germany this summer to play for his country at the 2024 European Championship.
In an interview recorded before Germany lost 2-1 to Spain in the quarter-finals last week – his last professional match – Kroos said he welcomes migrants but that Germany has failed to control mass immigration.
He compared Spain to Germany and when challenged by the hosts of the conservative podcast he was speaking on, he admitted that he felt there had been a “loss of control” regarding immigration to his country.
“I believe that over the years the control over certain issues has diminished a little bit and there is a reason for that,” he said, according to The Times.
German midfielder Toni Kroos (pictured on July 5 in Stuttgart) has said ‘uncontrolled’ immigration has made his home country unrecognisable and believes his daughter is safer in Spain
Kroos said that as his seven-year-old daughter (pictured with her father in May) gets older, he would rather have her have a night out in Spain than in his home country.
“I think it’s because people have overwhelmed them.”
He called it “great” that Germany welcomed migrants with open arms, but added: “It was just too uncontrolled.”
“I think we have not succeeded in realizing this basically very positive approach, which I support 1000 percent. I find it sensational that people from outside come to us and are happy,” he said in the podcast.
He also said: ‘I think Germany is a great country and I’m happy to be here, but it’s not the same country as it was 10 years ago when we left.’
The retired footballer said in the podcast that he feels his daughter is safer in Spain.
He said that as his seven-year-old daughter gets older, he would rather have her have a night out in Spain than in his home country.
“I wouldn’t have had that 10 years ago,” he added.
Suspected illegal migrants sit on the ground after being stopped by German police during their patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration, in Forst, Germany, September 20, 2023 (archive photo)
‘If a lot of people come, there is of course always a percentage that does us no good, just as is the case with Germans.’
At the end of the interview, Kroos said he would stay in Spain despite retiring from Real Madrid at the end of the club season in June, following a Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium in London.
As in many other countries in the European Union and the region, immigration has been a divisive issue in German politics in recent years.
Political parties have been divided over how to tackle the problem after former Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted a million migrants in 2015.
Recently, the ‘traffic light coalition’ of current Chancellor Olaf Scholz has implemented reforms that allow for dual nationality.
The right wing of German politics led the response to Merkel, leading to growing support for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party.
The AfD recently came in second in the European elections in Germany, a trend that mirrors that observed in other countries struggling with the migration issue.
Toni Kroos is seen at Wembley Stadium in London on June 1 after securing his sixth Champions League victory with Spanish giants Real Madrid
That trend was broken somewhat on Sunday when Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National party came third in France’s parliamentary elections, surprising many.
Several French footballers have become involved in politics in their home country in the run-up to the French elections, including star striker Kylian Mbappé, who called on his compatriots not to include “extremists” on ballot papers.
“I think we need to vote more than ever, it’s really urgent, we can’t leave our country in the hands of these people, it’s really urgent,” Mbappé said.
“We’ve seen the results of the first round, it’s catastrophic. We really hope that this changes and that everyone mobilizes to vote… and vote for the right side.”