Update: In March 2023, Toni Kroos revealed that he very much dislikes polo collar football shirts because of the comfort distractions of a bigger collar. Now the new Adidas Real Madrid 23-24 third kit has been released, and it again has a collar with a button.
For the launch picture, Toni Kroos did not button up the collar but left it open - we strongly expect him to do in matches. The collar of the 23-24 season is not quite as big as the home kit collar of the 22-23 season, so Kroos probably will have a smaller problem with it.
Adidas 23-24 Third Kits - 3 Buttoned-Colors, 2 Crew Neck Collars
When designing and finalizing the Real Madrid 2023-2024 third kit, Adidas were not aware of Kroos' anti-collar message. It seems possible that the Three Stripes would have opted for a different collar model, as done for the Bayern Munich and Manchester United 23-24 third kits.
March 2023: Kroos: "Kits With Polo Collars Are a Big Shit"
Toni Kroos, the famous German midfielder of Real Madrid, this week revealed his dislike for football shirts with collars in the latest episode of his podcast "Einfach mal Luppen". Big thanks to our friends form Real Total for the story and pictures.
Real Madrid's Toni Kroos Expresses Dislike for Collared Football Shirts
The 33-year-old German international complained about the discomfort and unattractiveness of such shirts, referring to them as "a big s*."
While Kroos did not specify any particular jersey of Real Madrid, he did express his displeasure with the current season's shirt, which features a collar. He believes that polo shirts are not suitable for football shirts and that the two buttons on the collar make it look like a shirt instead of a jersey.
Kroos' favorite jersey from his time at Real Madrid was the white-gold one from the 2019-20 season.
This is not the first time Kroos has shared his thoughts on football shirts. In November 2021, he revealed that his favorite jersey from his time at Real Madrid was the white-gold one from the 2019-20 season.
Kroos: "That Was by Far the Most Beautiful Kit I've Ever Played With"
Collared shirts have been a part of Real Madrid's kit in previous seasons, including the 2018-19 and 2014-15 seasons, where Kroos played without a collar but with buttons.
Frankfurt's former player Hinteregger cut off the collar
Real Madrid's kit supplier and Toni Kroos' personal sponsor, Adidas, did not comment on Kroos's criticism.
Nike Creates Custom Kit For Eintracht Frankfurt's Hinteregger
Indeed, Frankfurt's extraordinary ex-footballer Hinteregger cut off the polo collar of the Nike Eintracht Frankfurt shirt in the 2020-2021 season. Nike then created a custom collar-free kit for the former Austrian international.
For the 2023-2024 season, Real Madrid will get NO polo collar
For the 2023-2024 season, Real Madrid will get NO polo collar.
Are you a fan of Polo collared kits? Let us know in the comments below.