“Heart on his sleeve”: Kroos praises BVB star Süle | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund will lose long-time defender Niklas Süle this summer. Following the end of the BVB star’s career, Toni Kroos has found emotional and unusually candid words.

After Niklas Süle announced his retirement, Toni Kroos has now also spoken with personal words about his former Germany teammate. On the podcast Einfach mal Luppen, the former World Cup winner particularly praised the center-back’s exceptional character – and his honesty off the pitch.

“Niki is an absolutely top guy. He’s different from most professional footballers today,” Kroos said about the 30-year-old. What especially impresses him is that Süle never pretended to fit a typical footballer image. “He wore his heart on his sleeve,” Kroos continued. Süle had only a few days earlier announced that he would end his career this summer. The decisive factor was apparently a knee injury he suffered in mid-April during the defeat against Hoffenheim. The fear of another cruciate ligament tear reportedly hit him hard emotionally.

Kroos also spoke openly on the podcast about Süle’s lifestyle, which had repeatedly been a topic in the past. The former Dortmund player never hid his fondness for fast food or soft drinks – things that are generally frowned upon in modern professional football. Kroos said Süle had “stayed true to himself and his way of life.”

Difficult final months at BVB for Niklas Süle

At the same time, the former Real Madrid star suggested that this approach to his own body may have had consequences. Some injuries had “probably come as a result” of it. Even so, Kroos’s respect clearly outweighed everything else. “You get an honest opinion. He was a real character and wouldn’t let himself be bent,” said the 36-year-old.

Photo: IMAGO

However, his final period at BVB was difficult. This season, the defender was used only rarely and hardly played a role under coach Niko Kovač. In the most recent home match against Eintracht Frankfurt (3:2), Süle came on in the closing stages and was bid farewell by the fans.

In closing, Kroos once again had words of praise for the sporting quality of his former teammate: “Very, very often and with great consistency, he showed that he is a very good player.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.