Toni Kroos explains Real Madrid’s Clasico edge and backs Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or win

Toni Kroos has praised Jose Mourinho’s influence in Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the latest Clasico, while also explaining why he believes Harry Kane deserved to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

Speaking on the EINFACH MAL LUPPEN podcast with his brother Felix, the former Germany and Real Madrid midfielder said Mourinho was one of the main reasons for the change in the Spanish side’s performance against their biggest rivals.

Barcelona had enjoyed the better of the previous six or seven meetings between the teams, and Real Madrid had conceded heavily in those matches. That meant expectations were leaning towards another difficult evening for the Spanish club before the game at Camp Nou.

Kroos felt Real Madrid responded with greater courage both in possession and when defending. He highlighted the team’s organisation and its pressing, which forced Barcelona players including Pedri and Raphinha into mistakes that were unusual for them.

He also said Real Madrid won many of the individual battles and took advantage when Barcelona were unable to impose their usual control on the match.

Kroos: Mbappe and Vinicius are a ‘treasure’

Kroos expressed regret that Vinicius Junior was unavailable for the Clasico. He believed the space left behind Joao Cancelo would have provided the Brazilian with opportunities to threaten Barcelona through his speed and his ability to attack open areas.

The former midfielder also defended the importance of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior to Real Madrid, describing two players with such pace as a “treasure” and a genuine gift for midfielders.

According to Kroos, both forwards are capable of gaining three steps on defenders. That makes finding them in space an exceptional attacking weapon. He also pointed to the strong understanding between Arda Guler and Mbappe.

Despite his praise for Real Madrid, Kroos acknowledged Barcelona’s superiority in terms of footballing control. He said Barcelona were better at keeping possession and dictating matches, but could struggle when their press failed to win the ball back and they were forced to defend.

On the Ballon d’Or, Kroos said the 2026 contest had been unusually open because the leading candidates were closely matched and the World Cup carried significant weight in the voting.

He added that, if the award had been judged on the season alone, his preferred choice would have been Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, whom he considered the best player in Europe’s best team, referring to Paris Saint-Germain’s achievements.

Kvaratskhelia finished sixth after helping Paris Saint-Germain win a historic treble. However, Georgia did not qualify for the World Cup, which Kroos felt reduced the player’s chances.

Kroos also argued that Mbappe would not have finished in the top five without his World Cup participation. He believed Lamine Yamal would likewise have struggled to reach the top five had Spain not won the tournament.

Kane won the award after scoring 73 goals for club and country during the 2025-2026 season. He also helped Bayern Munich secure a domestic treble and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Kroos noted that Kane was the only leading candidate who had not launched a campaign beforehand to win the Ballon d’Or, an apparent contrast with Mbappe’s public ambitions and his discussions in the media about his claim to the prize.