“I would like it but he won’t win” - Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti names choice for 2024 Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has stated that he would like to see Toni Kroos win the Ballon d'Or award in 2024.

With both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo now playing their football outside Europe, there may be a real opportunity for someone else to claim the honor. The Germany international, who is now 34, has been brilliant for Los Blancos this season.

He bagged an assist in the Spanish giants' 5-0 win over Alaves on Tuesday night (May 14). Overall, Kroos has played 46 matches across competitions this campaign, scoring once and assisting on nine occasions.

Speaking about the possibility of the former Bayern Munich player winning the highest individual honor in football, Ancelotti said (via @MadridXtra):

"Ballon d'Or for Kroos? Yes I would like it but he won't win it. Or maybe...anything can happen. There is the Euro this summer, if he wins the Champions League and the Euro with Germany... he could fight for the Ballon d'Or."

Real Madrid are gearing up for the final of the UEFA Champions League, where they face German outfit Borussia Dortmund on June 1. Kroos will then join the German national team, who will commence their European Championship campaign against Scotland on June 14.

To date, the midfielder has made 108 appearances across competitions for his country, bagging 17 goals and 21 assists. Kroos has already lifted the World Cup in 2014 but is yet to be crowned a European champion.

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When Real Madrid star Toni Kroos said he's not interested in winning the Ballon d'Or

Toni Kroos

Last year, Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos claimed that winning a Ballon d'Or award didn't matter to him. The comments came after Los Blancos had a track record of producing multiple winners of the prize.

Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo all managed to claim the honor while at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, speaking on his podcast in October last year, Kroos said (via GOAL):

"My opinion is that individual awards are unnecessary in a team sport. I've always said that and I stand by that. No single player would have won anything on their own."

"It is prestigious, but not important. That's a big difference. My idea is that I simply don't find it important, or not as important as other players. No single player would have won anything on their own," he added.

The German deep-lying playmaker has appeared 463 times for Real Madrid, scoring 28 goals and assisting 98. He's won La Liga and the UEFA Champions League four times each in the Spanish capital, among other honors.