Toni Kroos is Germany’s player of the year, Xabi Alonso wins coaching accolade

By The Associated Press

FILE - Real Madrid's Toni Kroos kicks the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 25, 2024. Toni Kroos has been voted Germany’s player of the year for 2023/24 while Xabi Alonso won the coach’s accolade for leading Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Manu Fernandez]

BERLIN (AP) — Toni Kroos has been voted Germany’s player of the year for the 2023-24 season while Xabi Alonso won the coaching accolade for leading unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title. The 34-year-old Kroos has won the award organized by German sports magazine Kicker for the second time after being voted player of the year in 2018. Kroos ended his stellar playing career last month after Germany’s European Championship exit to eventual champion Spain. He helped Real Madrid to a Champions League and Spanish league double last season. Leverkusen’s success in finally ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year Bundesliga title run ensured Alonso won Germany’s coach of the year award for the first time.