Toni Kroos' unnecessary 'stick' to Leo Messi for the Ballon d'Or

Toni Kroos surprised the soccer world on May 21 when he announced, at 34 years of age and with apparently a lot of soccer ahead of him, that he would end his career once his participation in the European Championship with the German national team was over. This moment came on July 5 during the clash between Spain and the 'Mannschaft' (2-1). Now, his farewell has raised an important question: how will the '8' continue to be linked to soccer? Will he be a coach? Manager?

So far, his plans are not entirely clear. However, the German recently revealed a new way to stay connected to the world of sport by introducing the 'Icon League'. This semi-professional five-on-five soccer competition will feature personalities and streamers associated with the game, who will lead 14 teams in a competition that emerges as an alternative to Gerard Piqué's 'Kings League', maintaining a more traditional approach with some exceptions to the rules to add dynamism to the game.

At the presentation of this innovative competition, held recently in Germany, a statement from the talented former midfielder was unveiled that, unfortunately, seemed to be a little out of place. The Greifswald native did not hesitate to criticize the Ballon d'Or organization, France Football, and last year's winner (2023), Leo Messi.

Toni Kroos's 'stick' to Leo Messi and his eighth Ballon d'Or

Speaking about the voting system to choose the 'MVP' of the 'clashes' in the 'Icon League', the presenter of the event asserted that "the community and peers will vote for the best player of the match. We think it's good to have a mix between the two". This is where Toni Kroos' first intervention took place, who interrupted the host by commenting: "or I decide", as a joke.

Afterward, the host of the event responded emphatically: "It's definitely not going to be like the Ballon d'Or. That's what we can say". It was at this moment when the 'spicy' statement that was categorized as a 'stick' to 'La Pulga' and the Ballon d'Or ceremony took place: "Here the player who deserves it will win it", which caused laughter among those present who seem to have gotten an idea about who his ironic comment was tacitly aimed at.

It should be remembered that the last Ballon d'Or won by the former FC Barcelona player, the eighth in his personal account, was the subject of some controversy. Some considered that Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, after achieving a historic hat-trick with Manchester City and exhibiting an impeccable goal-scoring performance, deserved the award, with Kylian Mbappé as 'escort'. However, it ended up being the Argentine who took the award, largely due to his outstanding performance at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which still generates discontent in several sectors of world soccer.