Germany legend Toni Kroos has issued an apology to Pedri after the Spain midfielder was ruled out for the rest of Euro 2024 with a knee injury.
Spain confirmed on Saturday that Pedri suffered a grade two sprain to his left knee but will remain with the squad ahead of Tuesday’s semifinal against France in Munich.
The injury occurred in Spain’s quarterfinal win over hosts Germany after a challenge from Kroos inside the first 10 minutes of the game.
“I want to apologise and ask for forgiveness, Pedri,” Kroos wrote on Instagram following Germany’s defeat, which marked his final game as a professional footballer before retirement. “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.”
Toni Kroos was not booked for the challenge, which Spain coach Luis de la Fuente described as worthy of a red card.
While Spain has not confirmed the exact duration of Pedri’s absence, sources indicate he won’t feature again in Germany, even if La Roja make the final on July 14.
The expected recovery time is around one month. This injury adds to a series of setbacks for the Barca player, though most of his previous issues were related to his hamstrings.
Despite this, Pedri finished the domestic season strongly with Barca and had started four of Spain’s five games at the Euros, missing only the win over Albania after Spain had already qualified from the group.
Spain face further setbacks with suspensions
Spain will also be without defenders Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand against France. Carvajal will serve a one-game suspension following his red card against Germany, and Le Normand will miss the match due to an accumulation of bookings.
Both will be available for a potential final should Spain advance.
The match against France is set for Tuesday in Munich.
