‘Not Harvard English’ – Toni Kroos confused by Geordie accent as brother Felix hails Newcastle ‘summer’ | OneFootball

Toni Kroos and his brother, Felix, have officially traded the Bernabéu for the Gallowgate.

The German duo famously fell in love with Newcastle United following a pulsating 3-2 defeat to Liverpool in August 2025. What began as a podcast joke about Dan Burn being a “nasty b***ard” to defend against has resulted in both brothers becoming official members of the club.

While the retired Real Madrid icon was unable to make the trip recently, Felix traveled to Tyneside to experience a matchday firsthand, documenting the visit for their podcast, Einfach mal Luppen.

Listening to clips of his brother interacting with fans, which has been translated by the Shields Gazette, Toni admitted he was struggling to grasp the local dialect.

“How can I imagine Newcastle as a city? Is this really such a deep (part of) England?” Toni asked.

“Because all the people I’ve heard now, the English, let’s say, is not fine English, not Harvard English. I have also had to deal with a lot of Brits in the world of football. Whether that’s a Jude (Bellingham), (Gareth) Bale or whatever. In any case, that’s (Geordie) another accent I’ve not heard so far in these excerpts.”

Felix, who spent the trip soaking up the culture of the North East, admitted that understanding the local lingo required a high level of concentration.

“Yeah, you have to be focused. Once you get there, you need a little bit (of effort to understand), especially when they talk so fast. Sometimes it depends on the guy. When someone knows that you are from abroad then they make an effort to be a little clearer. And then there are those who speak the way we speak.”

“But what you have to say very clearly is that it is simply a working-class city. So the football club is the religion. And you can tell in every sentence they say.”

Despite the language barrier, Felix was pleasantly surprised by the “beautiful” architecture and, like an honorary Brit, had something to say about the North East climate.

“It was very good weather. For them it was summer. So it was 15 degrees and sunny. This was really summer for them. But there was always something going on, it wasn’t a dead city or anything. There was real life in it. Many pubs, clubs. That was really cool and also cool buildings. I must say, I think the city is very beautiful. This is not said for effect, but Newcastle is impressive.”

“Beautiful buildings, also a bit crooked partly, but that’s not bad. It has charm. I think you can live there, that it is underestimated. But the people are totally cordial.”

While the result of the match Felix attended was “sobering,” the brothers insist that their commitment to the club is now a permanent fixture.

“Of course, you stay even after bad games. In bad phases, you remain a member, you remain a fan. That’s clear. If you expect a delicious bit now, then you will certainly go home disillusioned. But we have to go back to the beginning of why we were there in the first place.”

“That was the game against Liverpool. That was the yardstand why we have now travelled there. But like I said, we’ll stick to it. We remain members. We are also there in difficult times. I would like to say that we send our best regards to Newcastle and all of the people who really welcomed us there. That was very nice.”