The first mention of a European Super League was made in 2021, when the biggest and strongest teams on the continent announced plans to leave the UEFA competition and create a competitively-closed alternative.
However, following loud criticism from fans, particularly those in England, the participating clubs withdrew their backing. Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus have continued to support the initiative because they believe that European football urgently needs financial reform.
With as many as 80 teams potentially participating in a merit-based competition, Bernd Reichart, the chief executive of A22 Sports, the organization that created the European Super League, recently unveiled a new ten-principle plan aimed at revitalizing the idea.
A European Super League has already been endorsed by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, and Kroos has publicly indicated that leaving the UEFA-run tournament may not be such a bad thing after all.
“I think we will see the Super League. And I believe so for several reasons,” Kroos said on the Einfach mal Luppen podcast.
“The idea of the Super League has changed and deserves to be heard. If you look carefully from both angles, you will see that UEFA is by no means a great Samaritan for football fans and that the Super League has no plans, at least in the second attempt, to exclude any team, because there will be no permanent founding members.
“It is a sports competition, an open tournament, but managed by the clubs and not by UEFA, because these clubs believe that they do not need UEFA for that. I think this deserves at least one chance.”
The tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal frequently squaring off in Grand Slam finals, according to Kroos, is an illustration of how much people like watching the top players fight head-to-head.
“Although we have already talked about the loss of passion for football, I believe that the Super League has the opportunity to reverse that situation. Let there be more enthusiasm and emotion for the games that we will be able to see.
“Because in the end, let’s not fool ourselves, many people always say: ‘Who wants to see Real Madrid against Manchester City every week?’ But have you gotten tired of watching Federer against Nadal over and over again? I don’t. That’s my opinion.”
Kroos speaks from experience having spent many years competing at the highest level. One of the most accomplished footballers of the contemporary age, he has five Champions League victories, one with Bayern Munich and four with Real Madrid.
