MADRID, 4 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Bayer Leverkusen’s Spanish coach, Xabi Alonso, was voted ‘Coach of the Year’ by sports magazine ‘Kicker’ on Sunday, while former Real Madrid player Toni Kroos was named ‘Footballer of the Year’ in Germany.
Xabi Alonso, who won the Bundesliga and German Cup with Leverkusen, was the almost unanimous winner of the vote for German Coach of the Year after receiving 503 votes, 429 more than Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness (74), who came second. Heidenheim’s Frank Schmidt came third with 55 votes, ahead of Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann (39).
Alonso admitted that he feels “overwhelmed” by the awards he is receiving as a coach. “I have a lot of respect for my colleagues who have been doing their job for years. But, of course, it is not only my work that has made me worthy of this title, but also the performance of the team and the entire squad,” he added.
For his part, 34-year-old Toni Kroos, who played the last professional match of his successful career in the quarter-finals of the European Championship against Spain, and who won La Liga and the Champions League with Real Madrid, won the ‘Kicker’ vote for the best German player of the year.