Montella & Spalletti chose Kroos
©IMAGO
If it were up to national coach Julian Nagelsmann, Bayer Leverkusen’s leading player Florian Wirtz would have been named FIFA World Player of the Year. In his vote, the coach put Wirtz in first place ahead of Spanish European champion Rodri and Rio world champion Toni Kroos, who retired in the summer.
For DFB captain Joshua Kimmich, Rodri came in first place, followed by Kroos and Wirtz. The actual winner Vinicius Junior, however, was not taken into account by either of them.
The FIFA World Player of the Year was voted for by national coaches, national team captains, journalists and fans around the world. Austria’s national coach Ralf Rangnick, for example, voted for Rodri, Erling Haaland and Wirtz. For Belgium’s coach Domenico Tedesco, Spain’s young star Lamine Yamal took the top three places ahead of Wirtz and Haaland, as a detailed list shows. Turkey’s Vincenzo Montella and Italy’s Luciano Spalletti, for example, saw Kroos at the front.
Turkey’s captain, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, also voted for Kroos in first place and Wirtz in third place. Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka and Finland’s Lukas Hradecky, on the other hand, saw their Werkself team-mate ahead, but also voted for Kroos.
