Toni Kroos and Xabi Alonso Honored with Top German Football Awards

Toni Kroos has been named Germany's player of the year for the 2023-24 season, while Xabi Alonso won the coaching accolade for leading Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title. Kroos, who ended his playing career recently, received the honor for the second time, previously winning in 2018.

Toni Kroos has earned the title of Germany's player of the year for the 2023-24 season, a recognition organized by German sports magazine Kicker. This marks the second time the 34-year-old has won the award, having previously secured it in 2018. Kroos decided to retire from playing following Germany's exit from the European Championship against Spain. Last season, he greatly contributed to Real Madrid's achievements, helping them clinch both the Champions League and the Spanish league titles.

In the same poll, Kroos earned 285 votes, surpassing his Germany teammate Florian Wirtz of Leverkusen, who received 246 votes, and Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, also from Leverkusen, who got 66 votes. Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso was celebrated for his coaching prowess, leading Bayer Leverkusen to break Bayern Munich's 11-year dominance in the Bundesliga. Alonso's team stayed undefeated in the league all season and also secured the German Cup for a historic domestic double.

Alonso took over as the coach of Leverkusen in October 2022, when the team was struggling in the Bundesliga standings. He received 503 votes from Kicker's poll, outpacing Stuttgart's Sebastian Hoeneß with 42 votes and Heidenheim's Frank Schmidt with 50 votes. Stuttgart finished the Bundesliga season in second place, while Heidenheim, in its debut top-flight season, ended in eighth place under Schmidt's guidance.

(With inputs from agencies.)