Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has opened up on his ‘unbelievable’ experience of Celtic Park in the Champions League last week.
The German internationalist has done it all in football, lifting five Champions League trophies in total across his career for both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, as well as winning the World Cup for his nation.
Along the way, Kroos will have experienced some incredible football stadiums, from the Camp Nou in Spain to the Maracanã in Brazil.
Last Tuesday evening, the 32-year-old ticked another European stadium off his list as Real Madrid took on Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side in the opening game of the Champions League group stage.
Although the Spanish giants came out on top, winning 3-0, and Kroos himself picked up man of the match in the game, it is fair to say that the Bhoys provided Madrid with a slight scare in the first hour or so.
The Hoops put in a brilliant display and could have taken the lead on several occasions through Callum McGregor and Daizen Maeda.
However, Celtic’s missed chances came back to bite them, with Real displaying their quality in the latter stages of the game.
Despite losing 3-0, the Parkhead faithful showed Ange Postecoglou and his players their backing, singing throughout and after the 90 minutes.
It certainly seems like it will be a night that Toni Kroos will remember for a long-time after he shared his feelings following an ‘unbelievable’ Parkhead experience.
Speaking on the Einfach mal Luppen podcast, recorded with his brother, Kroos stated that he ‘thought the stadium was going to collapse’ due to the roar of support created during the Champions League anthem inside Paradise
He said (as translated by El Espanol): “I was being asked several times which (away) stadium is my favourite. And there is a new number one, I can tell you! Celtic Park. It has been just crazy! We came out, and the atmosphere was good.
“The Champions League anthem started, and I thought the stadium was going to collapse. Unbelievable, I had never experienced anything like that.
“After the game, everyone applauded. Totally Celtic, of course, but nothing hostile or disrespectful. That was very, very, impressive.”
Before the game, Kroos also turned to his Real Madrid teammate, David Alaba, and said: “When we lined up for the team picture, I told David Alaba that it feels like we are already 0-2 down. Just insane!”
Ange Postecoglou and players will be looking to use atmosphere to make Celtic Park a fortress in Europe once again.
As Celtic supporters, we all know the huge reputation Paradise has across Europe due to the incredible atmosphere under the lights.
However, in recent years, it is fair to say that during some games, it has faded with Celtic struggling to compete against some of the top sides in Europe.
Of course, we should be disappointed with losing 3-0 to open up the group stage campaign. But, there are also positives to take out of the game, including the squad’s ability to compete with the current holders of the Champions League.
Now, Ange Postecoglou and his players must now build upon those positives and pick-up results against the other sides in the group – Shakhtar Donetsk and RB Leipzig.
Hopefully, by the time the Ukrainian and German sides come to Glasgow, we should be in a good position to try and achieve something in Group F.
We should, as a club, also be aiming to make Paradise a fortress in European competition once again, with sides from across the globe fearful of coming to the East End of the city.
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