Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde says ex-teammate deserved Ballon d'Or award

Real Madrid star Federico Valverde has said that Toni Kroos deserved a Ballon d'Or. He named the German as the one to miss out on the prestigious France Football award.

In an interview with Marca, Valverde said that Kroos deserved to end his career with at least one Ballon d'Or. He said about his former teammate:

"I would have given Toni Kroos a Ballon d'Or."

However, Kroos has said that individual awards were never in his plans. He said on his podcast earlier this year that he always gave priority to the team doing well:

"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. It is prestigious, but not important. That's a big difference.

"My idea is simply that I don't find it important, or not as important as other players. No single player would have won anything on their own. 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."

Toni Kroos retired earlier this year. He won the UEFA Champions League and La Liga in his final season with Real Madrid and reached the EURO 2024 quarter-final with Germany at home, losing 2-1 to eventual winners Spain.

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Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos hit out at Ballon d'Or in 2021

Toni Kroos was furious with France Football for awarding the Ballon d'Or to Lionel Messi in 2021. He said that the Argentine didn't deserve the award and said that Karim Benzema should have been the #1 pick.

Kroos said on his podcast:

"It's absolutely not deserved. There is no doubt that Messi, with Cristiano [Ronaldo], has been the player of the last decade, but this year there should've been others ahead of him.

"For me, Karim would have been the number one if you were really looking for the best individual player of the last year, because I can see from close quarters what an outstanding footballer he is. When I see how many decisive goals Cristiano has scored lately - Manchester United are still in the Champions League thanks to him alone - then, in my eyes, Cristiano would have also come before Messi."

Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas was also in agreement and said that Messi wasn't the right choice. He said that the Barcelona legend is one of the best in the world but shouldn't have won the award that year.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Kylian Mbappe, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, N'Golo Kante and Jorginho were also in the running but finished behind the Inter Miami star.