LOW PICKED KROOS AHEAD OF OZIL
Joachim Low has favoured Toni Kroos over Mesut Ozil for the upcoming FIFA Player of the Year award while picking Manuel Neuer to complete his voting ballot.
The German coach revealed he has voted for Real Madrid midfielder Kroos ahead of Arsenal’s Ozil for the FIFA award.
The veteran midfielder, Kroos had to settle for 17th place in the vote for the just awarded Ballon d’Or, but he has gotten his international coach’s backing in the run for the FIFA player of the year award.
Low told Bild that kroos has been playing consistently at a very high level this year, that he won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club world cup with Real Madrid and performed incredibly well for the national team in the summer Euro 2016 in France.
“You can always rely on him, and that was reason enough for me to vote for him. I voted for Kroos, Ozil and Manuel Neuer, in that order,” he said to the news source.
The German tactician penned down a new contract as Germany boss until 2020 back in October and he reiterated he would have extended his contract regardless of the world champions’ performance at Euro 2016.
“I would still have had the motivation to go for it again in 2018 had we won Euro 2016. I would have continued, either way, I would also have renewed had we won the Euros. We did not make it and that motivates us to keep pushing and achieve something again. We remain ambitious,” The 56-year-old added.
Kroos alongside his rampaging teammates added a new medal to Real Madrid’s laurels this season. A Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick in the 4-2 demolition of the Japanese side, Kashima Antlers claimed the FIFA Club World Cup for Real Madrid and ensured they ended 2016 with just two defeats in all competition.