Ballon d’Or 2024: Toni Kroos criticized the organizers of the award and said that it has no place in football

• The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony left a bad taste in the mouth of Toni Kroos, who criticized the organizers
• The retired German midfielder insists individual awards such as the Ballon d’Or should not be given too much attention.
• He made the announcement immediately after Manchester City’s Rodri won the prestigious prize ahead of Vinicius.

Former real Madrid Midfielder Toni Kroos has expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision to award the Ballon d’Or to Manchester City’s Rodrigo Cascante, beating out fan favorite Vinicius Junior.

Vinicius was widely expected to claim the honor but Vinicius entered Monday as the leader but it was ultimately Rodri who lifted the honorable trophy.

Rodri brings Vinicius the Ballon d’Or

Rodri’s victory, which comes on the back of an impressive season in which he won the Premier League with Manchester City and the European Championship with Spain, makes him the first midfielder since Luka Modric in 2018 to win the Ballon d’Or.

Reports from Spain hinted that the decision was made hours before the Paris ceremony, dampening the hopes of Real Madrid fans.

Kroos criticizes Ballon d’Or award

In response, Kroos, who retired after Germany lost to Rodri’s Spain at Euro 2024, expressed skepticism about the role of individual awards in a team sport.

“Rodri will win the Ballon d’Or,” Kroos said. Fabrizio Romano.

“I have never seen the importance of these individual awards in football; there is no place for them.”

Rodri’s reaction after winning the Ballon d’Or

As Rodri took the stage at the Théâtre du Châtelet, using crutches due to a recent anterior cruciate ligament injury, he humbly attributed his achievement to the wider heritage of the Spanish language. football.

“Today is not a victory for me,” he reflected, quoting BBC“But for Spanish football and for many players who have never won but deserve it, such as Iniesta, Xavi, Casillas and Busquets. This applies to Spanish football and the midfielder figure.”

With this historic victory, Rodri became the first Manchester City player to win the Ballon d’Or.

Vinicius breaks silence after being snubbed for awards

Meanwhile, Real Madrid Second-placed Vinicius opened up. after narrowly missing out on winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

Following the announcement, Vinicius broke his silence with a powerful social media post sharing his determination to continue fighting for the prize.

Rodri selects potential future winner

In the corresponding report Legit.ng stressed that the newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner Rodri shared his thoughts on who might qualify prestigious award in the future.

The Manchester City midfielder shared his prediction shortly after beating Vinicius Junior to win the Ballon d’Or on Monday night.

Source: YEN.com.gh