FIFA U-17 World Cup important tournament in my life, says Kroos

German midfielder Toni Kross on Saturday said FIFA U-17 World Cup was one of the major importants events in his life, which helped him to carve out better as a footballer.

Kroos was recognised as the best player and awarded the golden ball along with the bronze boot for being the third highest goal scorer, scoring five goals and assisting five in six games to help Germany finish third in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2007 in South Korea.

"It was one of the most important events in my development as a footballer, you play football to achieve something with your team, not just as an individual, I knew I'd had a good tournament but I was overwhelmed when I received that award. I was totally happy with the fact we'd won a medal in Korea. The individual award was simply a consequence of what the team accomplished," the 27-year-old told FIFA.

The World Cup champion in 2014 also said that as a footballer you have to work hard and be focused everytime.

"I was used to high expectations from the very start of my career as a footballer. Back then I was playing at Bayern Munich and had already participated at two European Championships with the national team," the Real Madrid player said.

"I never paid much attention to what other people said and just focused on my aims with the team. You have to work hard and believe in yourself, that's the most important thing," he added.

Kroos won the Bundesliga thrice with Bayern Munich and La Liga once with Real Madrid.

--IANS

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