The real reason why fans in Saudi Arabia whistled Real Madrid's Toni Kroos this Wednesday

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are playing a memorable match this Wednesday in Saudi Arabia. They are facing each other for the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup, as Los Merengues were champions of the last Copa del Rey and Los Colchoneros finished in third place in La Liga 2022/23. That is why they are competing to reach the final of the tournament, in which they will face either Barcelona or Osasuna.

The match has been exciting, with many goals, twists in the scoreboard and controversial decisions by the referee. Diego Simeone's team scored the opener at the beginning of the first half through Mario Hermoso, but Real Madrid quickly got the comeback with goals from Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy. However, before the break Antoine Griezmann scored the leveller.

In the second half the pace of the match slowed down due to the logical tiredness of both teams, but there were still emotions: Atlético Madrid netted the third goal thanks to a blooper between goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and Antonio Rudiger, while Dani Carvajal bagged the equaliser moments later. That's why they had to play extra time.

However, one detail that caught everyone's attention was the fans' disapproval of Toni Kroos. The German midfielder came on 21 minutes into the second half to replace Luka Modric and every time he took the ball he was whistled and booed by the people in the stadium.

What happened to him?

The real reason why the fans were angry with Toni Kroos were the words he said some time ago about players who chose to go to Saudi Arabian clubs lately. "People have even commented that they play ambitious soccer there, but it's all about the money. Going to Arabia is a decision for the money and against soccer," he said in an interview with Sports Illustrated.