"Over and out." Germany great Toni Kroos pens emotional farewell post to soccer

MUNICH (AP) — Over and out.

Germany great Toni Kroos officially bid farewell to soccer on Sunday, two days after his team’s dramatic loss to Spain in the quarterfinals of the European Championship.

Substitute Mikel Merino’s game-winning goal in the last minute of extra time handed Spain a 2-1 victory, knocked out the host nation and ended Kroos’ playing career.

“So that’s it,” Kroos wrote in a post on Instagram on Sunday. “But before I take a break and at least try to realize what happened over the last 17 years I don’t want to miss the opportunity to say thank you to everyone accepting me how and who I am.”

The 2014 World Cup winner went on to thank his fans, clubs, coaches and teammates, as well as his friends and family, adding that there is “nothing better (than) to see your kids being proud of daddy.”

Kroos won a host of titles, mostly with Real Madrid, but also with Bayern Munich — six Champions Leagues, four Spanish leagues, three Bundesligas, three German Cups and one Copa del Rey.

The 34-year-old Kroos announced in May that he would retire at the end of Euro 2024.

That meant that his 114th match for Germany turned out to be his last.

Kroos ended his post with the words: “last but not least: Thank you Football! You beautiful game. And… you‘re welcome! Over and out.”

AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024

Germany's Toni Kroos looks on at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Germany's Toni Kroos waves at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. Spain won the team 2-1. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Germany's Toni Kroos looks on at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Germany's Toni Kroos, right, hugs Joshua Kimmich at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. Spain won the team 2-1. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Germany's Toni Kroos clap hands as he acknowledges supporters at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Germany's Toni Kroos blows a kiss at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. Spain won the team 2-1. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Germany's Toni Kroos watches fans celebrate at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — It's most fitting that NASCAR this weekend races at Talladega Superspeedway, sight of one of the first major disputes between drivers and the top stock car series in the United States.

It was at the Alabama track's 1969 debut race when the NASCAR-despised Professional Driver Association led by Richard Petty deemed the track too dangerous and not ready for competition.

The PDA wanted to postpone the race, NASCAR founder Bill France said no and things quickly turned contentious. So 36 of NASCAR's regulars boycotted the event, but France made sure the show went on without them.

And now here we are, 55 years later, back at Talladega with the France family again under challenge. This time from only two teams — the Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports — who this week filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR over its charter system.

The two organizations are the only ones among 15 that refused to sign the take-it-or-leave-it agreement NASCAR dropped on the owners 48 hours before last month's playoff opener. They filed suit Wednesday against NASCAR, which is in the thick of the playoffs with six races remaining starting Sunday at Talladega.

“It's obviously the biggest story in the sport currently, and probably one of the biggest stories in a long time,” Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson said.

And so instead of the focus being on Sunday's middle race of the round of 12, where drivers need to secure their spot in the standings ahead of next week's elimination race at Charlotte, the talk is centered on the brewing legal battle.

Denny Hamlin, the three-time Daytona 500 winner who co-owns 23XI Racing with Jordan, said the lawsuit won't distract him from trying to win his first Cup Series championship. In fact, he's more motivated than ever. Hamlin is ranked fifth in the standings and a two-time Talladega winner.

"Make no mistake, the competitor in me, you don’t think I don’t want to come out here and win this weekend more than any?” Hamlin bristled Saturday. "That’s what I fuel myself on, making the 18-footer on hole 18 to win the match. Like, I live for those moments.

“Anyone that knows me personally will tell you that these moments, you’ll typically get more out of Denny, because I hate to lose and certainly will not justify any excuses to losing.”

Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress confirmed to Fox Sports that NASCAR dropped the more than 100-page charter agreement — which is essentially the revenue sharing model — on Richard Childress Racing at 6:37 p.m. on Friday night Sept. 6, with a midnight deadline to sign it "or we'd lose our charters.

“I didn't have a choice because we had to sign,” Childress told Fox Sports. “We've got over 400 employees, contracts, and I've got to take care of my team.”

Michael McDowell won his fifth pole of the season on a superspeedway Saturday to give Front Row Motorsports — the other team in the antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR — the top starting spot at Talladega.

McDowell is not in the playoffs.

He has won six poles this year starting with Atlanta Motor Speedway in the second event of the season. McDowell was also the fastest qualifier in NASCAR's return to Atlanta, as well as both Talladega races and the August race in Daytona. His sixth pole was at Gateway outside St. Louis and that is not a superspeedway.

The record for most consecutive superspeedway poles is held by Bill Elliott, who won six straight at Talladega from 1985 through 1987. Elliott won two of those six races.

McDowell turned a lap at 183.063 mph to lead a Ford driver sweep in qualifying. Austin Cindric qualified second for Team Penske and McDowell teammate Todd Gilliland qualified third.

Kyle Busch, who is desperately trying to keep his streak of winning at least one race a year for a 20th consecutive season, qualified fourth in a Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.

Ryan Blaney, the reigning Cup Series champion and Penske teammate with Cindric, was fifth and followed by teammate Joey Logano and RCR driver Austin Dillon.

Hamlin was the highest-qualifying Toyota driver at eighth.

Tyler Reddick won Talladega in the spring as part of his march to the regular-season championship. But as he heads into Sunday's race, he's below the cutline for elimination and struggling to understand what happened to his 23XI Racing Toyota.

Reddick has an average finish of 19th through the first four races with one top-10 finish and 21 stage points. He was 25th last week at Kansas Speedway, where he won a year ago.

“Yeah, at this point it’s definitely a head-scratcher,” Reddick continued. “I feel like all of us coming off of the regular season, I felt no change in what I was doing. I don’t think anyone on this team has either. We just haven’t been putting together good races. We haven’t had speed; we haven’t been able to get stage points. It’s been tough.”

Reddick vowed to race Talladega on Sunday as he normally would and has no concern that NASCAR will be scrutinizing him because his race team is suing the sanctioning body.

“Not worried at all,” Reddick said.

NASCAR has supplied a new part to teams ahead of Sunday's race as part of an aerodynamic change designed to stop cars from going airborne.

The change is intended to increase the speed required for the cars to lift off. Josh Berry flipped in August at Daytona International Speedway, the same race where Michael McDowell went airborne but did not flip.

One week earlier, Corey LaJoie flipped at Michigan International Speedway.

The new parts add a rocker skirt to the side of the cars, while fabric was added to the inside of the right roof flap. The right-side roof rails were extended two inches with polycarbonate.

Talladega is a 2.66-mile oval with 33-degree banking.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Tyler Reddick (45) has his tires changed on pit road during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

Denny Hamlin (11) leads Chase Briscoe (14) and Christopher Bell (20) during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

FILE - Kyle Busch interacts with spectators while walking down a runway during driver introductions before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Aug. 24, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

FILE - 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan stands in the pit area during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Talladega. Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Christopher Bell (20), Kyle Busch (8), William Byron (24), Tyler Reddick (45), Joey Logano (22) and Ryan Blaney (12) head down the front straightaway after a caution flag during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)