Joshua Zirkzee has revealed that he received “hateful, racist” messages on the back of a “stupid” miss for Bayern Munich. He erred on the Bundesliga champions’ behalf in a pre-season outing against Ajax. But Zrikzee, impressing on loan at Anderlecht, has vowed not to change his ways. Now, among other news in football today, he asserts that he will keep fighting for a long-term future with Bayern.
The Dutch forward attracted criticism when spurning a chance in a friendly contest with Eredivisie giants Ajax in July 2021. Back then, the 20-year-old rounded the goalkeeper but kept the ball with himself too long. This allowed a defender to slide in and clear from inches out.
Zirkzee Has Revealed That He Received “Hateful, Racist” Messages
Zirkzee briefly wiped his Instagram account on the back of that summer fixture, with online abuse aimed in his direction.
But he soon shrugged the incident off and now considers the matter to be closed.
Zirkzee told GOAL and SPOX about clearing his social media then: “It wasn’t a big deal for me. I turned off the messaging function on Instagram.
“I was completely inactive on Instagram for two or three days, then I went back online. It was a bit too much for me and I needed a break. I got hateful, racist, stupid messages.”
He also added on the furore surrounding his miss against Ajax: “Personally, I couldn’t have cared less about the criticism.
“I missed a chance, but on the whole I played a decent game. I actually had a good pre-season in Munich.
“Of course it was stupid that I missed this chance. Many people hyped it up afterwards, but I didn’t care. I was in good form and wanted to continue it.
“At that moment I should have been more professional. It shouldn’t have happened to me, but it happened: So what?”
