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

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 won the award organized by German sports magazine Kicker for the second time Sunday 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, having helped Real Madrid to a Champions League and Spanish league double last season.

Kroos received 285 votes in the Kicker poll, ahead of Germany teammate Florian Wirtz of Leverkusen who received 246, and Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, also of Leverkusen, who received 66.

Leverkusen's success - finally ending Bayern Munich's 11-year Bundesliga run and staying unbeaten in the league all season - ensured Alonso won Germany's coach of the year award for the first time. Leverkusen also won the German Cup for an undefeated domestic double.

The 42-year-old Alonso, who took over as Leverkusen coach in October 2022 when it was second from bottom in the Bundesliga, gathered 503 votes, finishing ahead of Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß (42) and Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt (50).

Stuttgart was second in the Bundesliga while Heidenheim finished eighth in its first ever top-flight season after Schmidt led it to promotion the season before.

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