The 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony is right around the corner. France Football has already revealed the 30 nominees, with Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe expected to lead the race for the award. Toni Kroos, however, doesn’t seem to be too interested in this.
The German midfielder has seen the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, and Karim Benzema receive the accolade while they were his teammates at Real Madrid, but he doesn’t seem to care about not being on the list of winners.
Speaking on his podcast “Einfach mal Luppen” with his brother Felix, the 33-year-old explained that for him, the Ballon d’Or is a prestigious but not an important award. In his opinion, team titles are the only thing that really matters in soccer.
Toni Kroos not interested in the Ballon d’Or or other individual awards
The Ballon d’Or award
“It is prestigious, but not important,” Kroos said. “That’s a big difference. My idea is simply that I don’t find it important, or not as important as other players. I always see myself as a team player, which is also due to my way of playing, and want to win the titles with the team. That’s what counts in the end. That’s why it doesn’t bother me, not even secretly.”
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Kroos knows a thing or two about winning major trophies. The German star tasted the ultimate glory with his country in 2014, playing a pivotal role in the fourth FIFA World Cup success in his nation’s history.
The star midfielder has also won it all at the club level. Kroos enjoyed a fruitful stint with Bayern Munich between 2007 and 2014, winning multiple Bundesliga and other domestic titles as well as a UEFA Champions League triumph.
His trophy cabinet got even bigger when he joined Real Madrid. In Spain, Kroos went on to collect five more Champions League medals, apart from celebrating countless national titles with Los Blancos. In the end, that’s what matters to him, as the veteran player said, “My opinion is that individual awards are unnecessary in a team sport. I’ve always said that & I stand by that. No single player would have won anything on their own.”
When will the winner of the 2023 Ballon d’Or be announced?
The winner of the 2023 Ballon d’Or award will be revealed on Monday, October 30, in a ceremony to be held at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France. 30 players are in contention, though Messi, Haaland, and Mbappe seem to lead the race for the prestigious prize. The Argentine superstar is the most decorated player of all time with eight awards, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five.
see also
French World Cup winner says Messi or Haaland deserve 2023 Ballon d"Or over Mbappe
Who are the 30 nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or?
- Josko Gvardiol (Leipzig / Manchester City)
- Andre Onana (Inter Milan / Manchester United)
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid / Al-Ittihad)
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
- Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
- Randal Kolo Muani (Frankfurt / PSG)
- Jude Bellingham (Dortmund / Real Madrid)
- Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
- Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
- Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)
- Yassine Bounou (Sevilla / Al-Hilal)
- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
- Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
- Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
- Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
- Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
- Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
- Kim Min-Jae (Napoli / Bayern Munich)
- Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
- Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
- Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
- Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City / Barcelona)
- Rodri (Manchester City)
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
- Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
- Harry Kane (Tottenham / Bayern Munich)
- Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
- Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
- Lionel Messi (PSG / Inter Miami)
