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Toni Kroos bewildered after Real Madrid come THIRD for Club of the Year award at Ballon d'Or ceremony

Toni Kroos bewildered after Real Madrid come THIRD for Club of the Year award at Ballon d'Or ceremony

Manchester City won the award despite losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals last season.

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan

Toni Kroos has expressed his bewilderment at Real Madrid missing out on the Club of the Year award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris.

Last season, Real Madrid won the La Liga title before being crowned European champions for a record-extending 14th time, with Carlo Ancelotti's side beating Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League final.

Madrid striker Karim Benzema claimed the men's Ballon d'Or award on Monday in recognition of his incredible form last season, in which he scored 44 goals in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Benzema's club teammate Thibaut Courtois won the Yashin Trophy, with the Belgium international named the best goalkeeper in world football.

But despite their remarkable success in the 2021-22 campaign, Real Madrid could only finish third in the voting for Club of the Year.

Premier League champions Manchester City won the award, with Liverpool coming second in the voting after winning the FA Cup and Carabao Cup last season.

After the awards ceremony, Madrid midfielder Kroos expressed his disappointment with the outcome of the award.

Manchester City were named Club of the Year ahead of Liverpool and Real Madrid (Image: Alamy)
Manchester City were named Club of the Year ahead of Liverpool and Real Madrid (Image: Alamy)

He tweeted: "3rd best team in 2021/22 - happy Real Madrid?"

Kroos was not the only Madrid player to voice his frustration with the voting process for the awards.

Despite winning the Yashin Trophy, Courtois admitted he was disappointed to finish seventh in the final standings for the Ballon d'Or.

"I'm not saying I would have won it, but I'm not even on the podium being the goalkeeper who won La Liga and the Champions League," Courtois told the Spanish media, as reported by Belgian site DH.

"It seems that scoring a goal is better than stopping it. It is a battle that remains to be won. Seeing the logic and knowing how they vote, I knew I would have no chance of winning it."

"A future winning goalkeeper? I see that as impossible for a goalkeeper," added Courtois.

"It's impossible to win this award. I don't know if as a goalkeeper you can do more than what I did last year."

Should Real Madrid have been named Club of the Year? Let us know your thoughts.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Toni Kroos, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Ballon d'Or, Football, La Liga

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

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