„Barcelona“ legend Johan Cruyff claims that Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is not worthy of winning the „Ballon d'Or“ due to Portugal's poor performance in the World Cup.
The Netherlands, who held the prize themselves in 1971, 1973, and 1974, believe that it should be awarded to a player who not only excels individually but also performed well in Brazil. One such player is Toni Kroos.
„At the highest level, the combination of individual mastery and achievements is the most important“, – Cruyff wrote in De Telegraaf.
„From this perspective, it's completely absurd that for the second year in a row, the award went to a player who couldn't successfully combine both aspects - performing well in matches and winning the most trophies.“
„In 2013, Munich's „Bayern“ did everything they could but the award still went to Cristiano Ronaldo, not Toni Kroos or anyone else from Bayern.
„In 2014, Kroos was again Germany's star player in the World Cup but didn't even make it to the top three finalists. Ronaldo was completely absent in Brazil...“
„To be honest, I no longer consider this FIFA award serious.“
