"He never loses a ball" - Joselu claims 'incredible' Real Madrid teammate should have won 5 Ballons d'Or

Real Madrid's summer signing Joselu recently lavished praise on legendary midfielder Toni Kroos, claiming that the latter should have won five Ballon d'Or trophies in his career.

Kroos, 33, was nearing free agency this summer and retirement from football was a possible option on the table. But he ended up signing a one-year extension at the Santiago Bernabeu alongside Luka Modric.

Kroos has been at Real Madrid since 2014 when he signed from Bayern Munich for a fee of €25 million. Since then, he has registered 27 goals and 90 assists in 421 games across competitions, winning every major trophy with Los Merengues.

The German superstar is widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders to grace the sport in recent decades. He is known for his impeccable passing range, vision and composure on the ball and is also a deadly customer from set-pieces.

Speaking about the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner, Joselu told AS (h/t @ActuFoot_ on X):

"Kroos should have five Ballons d'Or! He is an incredible player, capable of changing a match. He is one of the players who impressed me the most at Real Madrid. He never loses a ball and he plays with a serenity that makes him different."

Kroos has never won or finished on the podium of the Ballon d'Or award in his career. He has nevertheless made the FIFA FIFPro World XI on three occasions.

Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, has stated that the former Bayern Munich midfielder still has a big role to play in his team. The Italian manager has refused to label him and Modric (37) as bench players.

---

Joselu explains reason for choosing No. 14 at Real Madrid

It is common for strikers to wear the No. 9 shirt, and Joselu donned that number during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, Deportivo Alaves, and Espanyol.

But when the 33-year-old Spaniard signed for Los Blancos on an initial loan deal this summer from Espanyol, he went with No. 14. The No. 9 shirt was available after being vacated by Karim Benzema, who joined Al-Ittihad in the summer.

Explaining his decision during an interview with the aforementioned source, Joselu said (h/t ManagingMadrid):

"It’s really simple, I wanted 14 because it’s the number I made my debut for Celta [his childhood club] with. I just don’t care much about the number thing, to be honest, what matters the most is to be a Real Madrid player and that’s a dream for me, I wear 14 which means that I’m in the first team and that’s what matters."

Joselu is currently with the Spanish national team, who will play against Georgia (8 September) and Cyprus (12 September) in the 2024 UEFA Euros qualifiers later this month.