"Individual awards are unnecessary in a team sport" - Real Madrid superstar Toni Kroos offers honest opinion on Ballon d'Or
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has shared his honest opinion about the Ballon d'Or, terming individual awards like this in football as 'unnecessary'.
The German midfielder joined Real from Bayern Munich in 2014 and has since seen the Ballon d'Or being awarded to his teammates on five occasions. Cristiano Ronaldo won it thrice, with Luka Modric and Karim Benzema winning it once apiece.
Speaking on his podcast "Einfach mal Luppen" alongside his brother Felix, Toni Kroos admitted he would have happily accepted being awarded a Ballon d'Or, saying:
"If there had been one, I wouldn't have stood up and rejected it because that is already an award. Above all, it is prestigious, but not important."
However, the Real Madrid icon further emphasized that football is about collective success. He said:
"My default attitude is simply that I don't think its important - or not as important as other players think. I have always seen myself as a team player and I want to win titles with the team.
"That's what counts in the end. Because I believe that the team deserves the titles, I also believe that individual awards are unnecessary in a team sport. No single player would have even come close to winning anything on their own."
Elaborating further, Toni Kroos explained how each unique individual plays their part in a team's success:
"Eleven Toni Kroos won nothing, eleven strikers won nothing, eleven defenders won't win anything either. It's always the combination of a good team. That's why the team wins titles, which is why individual awards are absolutely not important in my opinion."
Toni Kroos has enjoyed incredible success with Real Madrid, making 428 appearances, scoring 28 goals and providing 91 assists.
Since joining the club in 2014, he has won four Champions League titles, three La Liga titles and five FIFA Club World Cup titles among other top honors.
At 33 years of age, Kroos still has plenty to give to Los Blancos as he continues to play a key role in their first team.
An overview of Real Madrid's Ballon d'Or winners
Real are a club that has always been closely associated with the highest pinnacle of success in football, both on individual and team levels. An incredible 11 Ballon d'Or winners have played for the club in their rich history.
Legendary striker Alfredo di Stefano was the first recipient of the award in 1957 and his teammate Kopa was the second one to win it.
Other players on this list are Ronaldo Nazario (2), Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Michael Owen, Fabio Cannavaro, Kaka, Luka Modric , and Karim Benzema.
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, was in a league of his own, winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or five times, with four being awarded while playing for Real Madrid and one for Manchester United.
Their latest sensation Jude Bellingham could be next in line as he continues his scintillating start with the club.