Lionel Messi winning the Ballon d'Or was absolutely not deserved, asserts Toni Kroos
Lionel Messi was awarded the Ballon d’Or on Monday night but Toni Kroos does not believe that the Argentine should have won the award and felt that Karim Benzema or Cristiano Ronaldo deserved to win the prestigious accolade. Messi received the seventh Ballon d’Or of his career on Monday night.
Lionel Messi won the 2021 Ballon d'Or award on Monday night in France after another year of scintillating displays for club and country. The Paris Saint-Germain forward, who spent the previous campaign with Barcelona netted 38 goals and provided 14 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions. The Argentine’s exquisite performances for the Catalan club propelled them to Copa del Rey glory in an otherwise forgettable season.
The 34-year-old achieved one of his lifelong dreams as he secured the Copa America for his country this summer, as they beat Brazil in the finals. Messi along with Robert Lewandowski were the favourites for the prestigious award this year and the Argentine was able to beat his competition and secure the Ballon d’Or on Monday night. Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos insisted that Messi winning the prize was the wrong decision and revealed that Karim Benzema or Cristiano Ronaldo would have been the better pick.
"It's absolutely not deserved. "There is no doubt that Messi, with Cristiano , 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," Kroos said in his podcast.
"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," he added.