Euro 2024: Toni Kroos Shows Admirable Class, Publicly Apologises to Injured Spain Star Pedri

• Retiring Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has apologised to Pedri after his challenge led to the latter's injury
• According to reports, the Spain midfielder has been ruled out of the rest of Euro 2024 with a knee injury
• It is the latest in a string of injuries the 2021 Golden Boy Award recipient has suffered in recent seasons

Toni Kroos has issued an unreserved apology to Pedri following the Spanish midfielder's injury during the quarter-final match between Spain and Germany at Euro 2024.

The 34-year-old, who marked his final appearance as a professional footballer in the game that saw Spain end Germany's tournament run, found himself at the centre of a contentious moment.

How Pedri sustained injury from Kroos' challenge

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Early in the first half, Kroos was involved in a duel with Pedri.

Despite his usual composed style, the Real Madrid legend made an uncharacteristically reckless tackle that resulted in Pedri sustaining an injury.

The challenge forced the Barcelona star to be substituted just 10 minutes into the match, cutting short his quarter-final and potentially the tournament as a whole.

Despite the severity of the incident, Kroos was not penalized with a booking, a decision that Spain's coach, Luis de la Fuente, believed warranted a red card.

Spain has yet to confirm the duration of Pedri's recovery, but sources indicate he will not return for the remainder of the tournament, even if La Roja reach the final on July 14.

According to ESPN, his recovery time is estimated to be around one month.

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Pedri's injury a blessing in disguise for Spain

Interestingly, Pedri's injury proved to be a turning point for Spain.

His replacement, Dani Olmo, made a significant impact by scoring and providing an assist, helping Spain secure a 2-1 victory over the host nation after extra time.

Olmo's outstanding performance earned him the Man-of-the-Match award.

Kroos apologises to Pedri

Nearly a day after the incident, Kroos took to Instagram to express his regret and apologize to the 2021 Golden Boy Award winner.

"I want to apologise and ask for forgiveness, Pedri," Kroos wrote on the photo-sharing App.

"I hope you make a quick recovery. It was not my intention to hurt you and I wish you all the best. You are a great player."

Kroos optimistic about Germany's future

Sports Brief reported that Kroos remains optimistic about Germany's future despite their "bitter" 2-1 Euro 2024 quarter-final loss to Spain in extra time on Friday.

Kroos, who came out of international retirement for one final campaign with Germany, played a pivotal role in the home team's run to the quarter-finals.