World Cup 2022: Toni Kroos praises Messi: He deserves it, I've never seen a footballer play so consi

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos is the latest player to heap praise on Lionel Messi after the 2022 Qatar World Cup final.

It is praise that will mean a lot to Messi considering the pair have been on opposite sides of one of football's biggest rivalries for so many years.

The German midfielder discussed the Argentinian star on streaming platform Magenta TV and he stressed that Messi deserves to win the World Cup.

"Leo Messi deserves it. In terms of individual performances at a tournament, I've never seen a footballer play as consistently as this guy. You have to bear in mind that he's never played for clubs that I like, which proves that I'm serious," said Kroos.

In 2014, Kroos won the World Cup final in Brazil with Germany against Messi's Argentina with a goal from Mario Gotze.

The Greifswald native also weighed in on the possible replacement for Didier Deschamps at the helm of France, should the current coach decide to step down.

"I certainly think that Zinedine Zidane would not only be a good successor, but the best possible successor, but the big question is: What does Didier want?" Kroos said.

Kroos recently retired from international football which is why he was not able to help Germany avoid a second successive group-stage exit from the World Cup. He scored a superb goal against Sweden in 2018 but could not keep Germany from being knocked out.

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