Kroos named German footballer of the year
Berlin, Aug 5 : Real Madrid's Champions League winner Toni Kroos has been named German footballer of the year for the first time, Kicker magazine said on Sunday.
Also, Germany's Dzsenifer Marozsan of Olympique Lyon was voted as German female footballer of the year for the second straight year, reports Xinhua news agency.
Kroos, who won the Champions League with Real Madrid in May, stood out with 185 votes from sports journalists ahead of Freiburg striker Nils Petersen (39 votes) and Schalke's Brazilian defender Naldo (with 38).
Kroos, a rare bright spot in a German side that crashed out of the World Cup group stage as title holders, was second last year behind former Bayern Munich teammate Philipp Lahm.
"Footballer of the year -- that's a prize you do not get so easily -- and most importantly not everyone can win it," Kroos said in a statement.
Jupp Heynckes was voted coach of the year for leading Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title in May before retiring.
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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
