Toni Kroos backtracked on a 'rule' involving former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo just days after Lionel Messi's first World Cup win.
The Los Blancos midfielder watched longtime rival Messi lift international football's highest honour with Argentina on Sunday evening following a dramatic 4-2 penalty shootout win over France.
Messi played a vital role in the game, scoring twice plus converting his spot kick in the shootout en route to Player of the Match.
For many, it's finally settled the eternal 'GOAT' debate between Messi and Ronaldo. The Portugal superstar scored one goal at this year's World Cup, leaving the competition in tears with a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Morocco.
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Ronaldo is currently without a club after leaving Manchester United midway through the World Cup.
The best period of his career came while playing with Kroos at Real, winning three consecutive Champions Leagues between 2016 and 2018.
Kroos and Ronaldo were close off the pitch as well. So close, they lived next door to one another.
It's why the Germany legend could never go against Ronaldo in the best player ever chat.
He previously admitted per the Mirror: "From my playing days, it's Cristiano Ronaldo (best player of all time). Of course, I'm biased because he made a decisive contribution to us winning a lot of titles.
"It was exciting and impressive to play alongside Ronaldo. We were not only teammates but also neighbours in the dressing room and neighbours in private.
"He lived right next to me. Seeing what a perfectionist he is was impressive. That is why it is forbidden for me to name Messi (as the best player of all time)."
The 32-year-old feels very differently about it all nowadays. No longer Ronaldo's teammate and fresh off the weekend's spectacle at Lusail Stadium, Kroos believes Messi's the undisputed best player in the world.
He admitted to MagentaTV: "He (Messi) deserves it. In terms of individual performances in a championship, I've never seen a footballer play as regularly as this guy.
"You have to take into account that he has never played for clubs that I find very funny, something that proves that I mean it."
Messi originally claimed he would retire from international following the World Cup. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar later revealed he wanted to continue playing for his country as a world champion.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Football World Cup
Daniel Marland