Real Madrid star Toni Kroos says the Ballon d'Or is not important

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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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.