Berlin, Jan 10 (IANS): Midfielder Toni Kroos has been named as Germany's Player of the Year 2014, the German Football Association (DFB) announced.

The German international midfielder Friday elected by the fan club "Nationalmannschaft" as the Player of the Year 2014 after a poll on the DFB's official homepage, reports Xinhua.

The election of Kroos came as a surprise as he left veteran, and now retired striker Miroslav Klose and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who is still in the race of FIFA's Ballon d'Or, behind.

"The election to the Player of the Year in the World Cup winning year 2014 means a lot to me as fans from all over the world participated," Kroos said.

"I am actually not a big fan of individual awards because in our sport we can only win as a team. Therefore, I would like to thank the whole team that worked perfectly 2014."

The year 2014 was a remarkable year for the 25-year-old midfielder as he lifted the German domestic double with Bayern Munich, clinched the World Cup in Brazil before he moved to Real Marid in summer to pen a six-year deal.

Since his debut in 2010, Kroos has made overall 57 appearances for the German national team scoring nine goals.