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WHAT HAPPENED?
The German brought the curtain down on a glittering, trophy-filled career this summer following his country’s quarter-final exit from Euro 2024. The recently retired footballer had one of the best seasons of his career in 2023/24, so much so that he is up for the Ballon d’Or. Although the 34-year-old made it clear he is not interested in picking up such an accolade, he did state fellow nominees Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, and Dani Carvajal would be worthy winners of said prize.
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Getty Images SportWHAT TONI KROOS SAID
He told TVE: “The Ballon d’Or is not important to me. If someone from Real Madrid wins it, I’m fine. Vini deserves it, Jude deserves it and Carvajal deserves it, but I don’t care.”
On life after his professional playing career, he added: “I feel very good. If I decide something it’s that, I’m convinced and I do it. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t cost me. In the end it’s just football, we suffer with other things in life.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Kroos helped Madrid secure a La Liga and the Champions League double last season and despite calls for him to carry on, he hung up his boots in the end. He left behind him a Los Blancos team primed to win a lorry-load more trophies and the likes of Vinicius and Bellingham will be key to that success as they try to extend their European dominance.
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?
Kroos and the Madrid trio will find out who wins the top prize at the Ballon d’Or ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 28. But as the former Bayern Munich man said, he won’t be holding his breath on the matter.
