Toni Kroos Responds to Ex-Chelsea and Nigeria Star Over ‘Average’ Comments

Toni Kroos has never been shy about defending his reputation, and the former Real Madrid midfielder did so again after a viral claim attributed to John Obi Mikel suggested the German was “average.” The story, which circulated widely on social media, quoted Mikel as saying: “Toni Kroos was an average midfielder. I was a better player than him. The big difference was that I didn’t play for Real Madrid.”

Kroos, who left the Bernabeu this summer and whose influence has already been missed, spotted the remarks online and reposted them to his Instagram story with a succinct retort: “And why didn’t you play for Real Madrid?”

Yet the exchange was based on fabricated quotes. Spanish daily Marca reports that Mikel moved quickly on his podcast, The Obi One, to set the record straight. “That’s an absolute lie,” the former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder said. “To say that Modric, Carvajal, Kroos, or Nacho aren’t good enough is unbelievable. I would never say something like that, and I never will.”

Mikel emphasised that the players mentioned are “world class and Real Madrid legends,” adding: “They’ve won the Champions League six times. Saying they weren’t good is crazy.”

The clarification, however, appears not to have reached everyone. Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos also weighed in on social media, posting: “I’m sorry, but Toni Kroos is unique.”

For now, Kroos’s sharp online reply stands as another example of the German’s willingness to engage when his legacy is questioned—even if the original provocation proved to be unfounded.