Real Madrid Veteran Thinks Ballon d'Or Is 'Not Important' As Days Count Down to 2023 Awards

• Toni Kroos has delivered his honest verdict about the Ballon d'Or awards
• This year features a showdown between Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland
• Kroos is considered one of the top stars in his position in modern football

Real Madrid midfielder, Toni Kroos has downplayed the significance of awarding the Ballon d'Or to individual players.

Despite his consistency and considerable success with the Spanish giants - including numerous trophies such as La Liga, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Champions League - Kroos has never come close to winning the coveted award.

During his time at Real Madrid, where he has made over 400 appearances with 28 goals and 91 assists, per Transfermarkt, Kroos has watched some of his teammates ascend the podium to claim the prestigious prize.

Luka Modric (the 2018 winner), Cristiano Ronaldo (a five-time recipient), and Karim Benzema (the reigning award holder) have all received the Ballon d'Or prize while playing alongside the German midfielder.

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During a discussion with his brother and co-host Felix, on their podcast Einfach mal Luppen, Kroos acknowledged that he would have been pleased to receive a Ballon d'Or, remarking:

"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," he said per Daily Post.

"My default attitude is simply that I don’t think it’s 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."

Nevertheless, the Real Madrid legend stressed the importance of collective success in football and believes that is 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."

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The winner of the various prizes will be announced on October 30 at a Ballon d'Or gala event in Paris.

How Ballon d'Or voting works

Sports Brief previously reported that the coveted award is arguably football's most prestigious individual award - an honour reserved for the sport's elite, granted to only a select few in their careers.

In 2021, significant changes were made to the Ballon d'Or rules following Messi's seventh title, with the award no longer taking into account achievements in a calendar year but instead a season.