Confusion heats up as Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos gives reason why winning ballon d`or doesn’t matter’
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos said winning the Golden Ball is not important to him.
Toni Kroos has won many team awards during his hugely successful 15-year career.
However, over the years, the man in control of the midfield has seen important individual awards given to teammates such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric.
This year’s award is expected to be a two-way battle between Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland of Manchester City.
The Golden Ball is not important to Kroos
podcast Einfach mal Luppen, Kroos emphasized that individual honor should not replace the collective, stressing that awards such as the Ballon d’Or mean nothing to him. “If there was, I wouldn’t refuse because it’s already a reward.
“On top of that, it’s certainly a prestigious award, but not an important one.”
He added: “My default attitude is just I don’t think it’s important – or not as important as other players think. I always consider myself a team player and I want to win trophies with the team.
“That’s what matters at the end of the day. Because I believe that teammates deserve trophies, I also believe that individual awards are unnecessary in a team sport. “No one player can win anything on their own.”
Lionel Messi is currently the bookies’ favorite to win his 8th Golden Ball after leading Argentina to win the World Cup in Qatar last December.
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Wolves
- GK: Josa Sa (7) – played very little to do in the first half but made some fantastic saves in the second to keep his side at level.
- RB: Nelson Semedo (6) – Was above average in the first half but struggled with play in the second as Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz doubled up on him.
- CB: Craig Dawson (7) – Continues to age like fine wine and made one superb block late on from Luis Diaz. Will argue he was fouled for Liverpool’s third.
- CB: Max Kilman (7) – Put in a good performance in the heart of defence for Wolves and could only watch as his side missed chance after chance.
- LB: Rayan Ait-Nouri (6) – Struggled more in the second half as Liverpool went on and he was taken off with an injury.
- CM: Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (8) – Wolves’ summer signing already looks like a player they’ll struggle to retain and was absolutely everywhere for the home side in a wonderful midfield performance.
- CM: Mario Lemina (6) – Did a lot of assisting work in midfield and helped keep Szoboszlai largely for much of his nice encounter.
- CM: Joao Gomes (7) – Tactical shift from Liverpool left him somewhat bypassed in the second half.
- RW: Hwang Hee Chan (6) – Gave his side a 7 minute lead but looked drained towards the end of the first half and was sent to the bench on the hour mark as his side experienced more pressure.
- ST: Matheus Cunha (5) – Was wonderful Until towards the end of the game, where he missed two clear chances that will have left Wolves wondering what if.
- LW: Pedro Neto (7) – The best player on the pitch for half the game, Neto created the chance for the opening goal and gave Gomez a terrible first half. Liverpool’s changes left him largely anonymous in the second though.
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Substitutes
- Fabio Silva (6) – Didn’t have much of an impact when he came on.
- Matt Doherty (5) – Came on and didn’t have an impact the game.
- Hugo Bueno (5) – Came on for the injured Ait-Nouri and was unlucky to see an effort deflect off him for Liverpool’s third.
- Boubacar Traore (5) – A clear step down from those he replaced, he couldn’t get into the game.
- Tommy Doyle (5) – A disappointing debut but showed flashes of his talent when he came on.
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Liverpool
- GK: Alisson (5) – Didn’t have much to do as Wolves try to find the target.
- RB: Joe Gomez (3) – Had a torrid afternoon against Pedro Neto, who most times left him for dead in the first half.
- CB: Joel Matip (5) – Lack the confidence as first-choice options for Liverpool but did okay. But was much improved in the second half when his side dominated more of the ball.
- CB: Jarell Quansah (6) – Enjoyed a strong debut for the Reds until he left the pitch with a late injury.
- LB: Andy Robertson (6) – Was Liverpool’s best player in the first half, though he did lose his man for the opener. Made up for it late in the match by scoring the winner.
- CM: Alexis Mac Allister (4) – Largely lacks composure in the first half and picked up a needless yellow card before being taken off at the interval.
- CM: Dominik Szoboszlai (7) – Had his worst half in a Liverpool shirt so far and couldn’t seem to find his usual passing style, but controlled the game in the second and was excellent in a slightly deeper role.
- CM: Curtis Jones (5) – Largely anonymous but covered a lot of the pitch and worked hard.
- RW: Mohamed Salah (6) – Had poor game compared to his own high standards and was hardly involved, but made those involvements count by helping with three great assists in a show of his continued quality.
- ST: Cody Gakpo (5) – Missed two good chances to level the scoring. Scored the needed equaliser with his last touch as a small redemption for his performance.
- LW: Diogo Jota (5) – Had a difficult afternoon and was taken off the pitch after an hour.
Substitutes:
- Luis Diaz (6) – Helped with Liverpool’s balance in the second half without any direct impact in the final third.
- Darwin Nunez (7) – Okey when he came on and helped Liverpool’s improvement towards the second half.
- Harvey Elliot (7) – Was strong advancing forwards and got his reward with a deflected goal to seal all three points.
- Ibrahim Konate (6) – Was just on for the final 10 minutes.
- Ryan Gravenberch (N/A)– Handed his debut almost at stoppage time.
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