Toni Kroos had an emotional final match at the Santiago Bernabeu as a Real Madrid player in the last game of the 2023/24 La Liga season. He was THE star of the show in an otherwise dull 0-0 draw against Real Betis, earning a lot of applause from teammates and fans at the Bernabeu.
Kroos had an emotional outing in his farewell, which included being mobbed by his buddies. The Real Madrid players celebrated the German Sniper’s career by throwing him up in the air in celebration for the final time in their home stadium. The ones who started the game alongside Kroos were also accompanied by substitutes and even those ruled out due to injury.
As the players threw Kroos in the air in celebration, an interesting figure crept up in the delightful after-match pictures. Most players were wearing their match kits, but Aurelien Tchouameni couldn’t do that because he wasn’t involved. The Frenchman is recovering from an injury, that’s why he opted to wear a rather interesting T-shirt for the occasion.
Tchouameni was seen wearing a white t-shirt with the words ‘Apes Together Strong’ printed on the back of it. This is definitely not Real Madrid merchandise or anything related to the club, but an interesting message that the France international wanted to be captured by the cameras during the emotional evening.
This is actually a popular meme format that has been inspired by the movie ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’. In the film, the protagonist Caesar (an ape) makes the comment ‘Apes Together Strong’ at his fellow apes in an attempt to keep them united.
This quote has since become the point for many hilarious memes being created, mostly when it comes to explaining group projects or multiple people linking up for an assignment.
Some fans feel that Tchouameni is paying homage to Caeser with his shirt, but that is unlikely to be the case. The Real Madrid star has never shown any indication towards any affirmation or love towards the Planet of the Apes character, at least on social media, in the past. It appears that the Frenchman might actually be wearing a customized shirt from Japanese designers BAPE ‘A Bathing Ape’.
This Japanese fashion brand actually launched its ‘Apes Together Strong’ line of clothing in 2017 – well before the memes started going viral on social media. While the one Tchouameni is wearing isn’t available, similar variations of the t-shirt can be purchased in online retail stores by fans.
A similar one where the ‘Apes Together Strong’ is printed on the back and the logo of BAPE (which is of a gorilla) is also featured on the front costs around £105 on Grailed. Tchouameni is not associated with the Japanese brand in any way, but appears to be an admirer of their design and decided to advertize it for free in Kroos’ final match at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With that being said, it’s also possible that Tchouameni wore this shirt as an Anti-Racism message. Real Madrid players have been tormented by racism over the last few seasons, especially Vinicius Jr being often mocked for his color and met with monkey chants in away La Liga games.
The Frenchman might’ve donned this shirt as a fitting reply to the racists who tried to demotivate him and his black teammates. Tchouameni won’t be able to play in the upcoming Champions League final due to an injury issue. He’ll definitely travel to Wembley and whether or not he dons a BAPE shirt once again for that occasion remains to be seen.
