Real Madrid coach José Mourinho has challenged the basis used to determine the Ballon d’Or winner, insisting that lifting the Champions League or World Cup should not, on its own, make a player deserving of the individual award.
Speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s LaLiga meeting with Málaga, Mourinho argued that the honour should recognise a player whose influence and legacy remain unforgettable even after their playing career has ended.
“It’s a very beautiful individual achievement that enters the individual history of a particular player. And I think it’s normal for there to be candidates—there aren’t many, about a dozen top-level players, among whom we have three or four. It’s natural for it to be an ambition.
“For me, the Ballon d’Or should go to one of those players who, when they stop playing, we miss them for eternity. I miss Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano, Messi, Zizou, Lothar Matthäus… I miss these players,” Mourinho said during a pre-match press conference published on the club’s website on Saturday.
The Portuguese manager stressed that winning major collective honours should not automatically determine who is recognised as the best individual footballer in the world.
“You can’t give the Ballon d’Or to a player just because he won the Champions or the World Cup,” he said.
Mourinho suggested that if the award were primarily intended to recognise success in team competitions, the honour could instead be directed towards the coaches or teams responsible for those achievements.
“If you want to reward the Champions League, then give the Ballon d’Or to Luis Enrique. The Ballon d’Or for managers, to represent the team. Or to the Spanish national team—surely coach De la Fuente deserves the Ballon d’Or for managers. That is the great tribute to a team that enters history.”
He maintained that identifying the world’s best player should remain distinct from celebrating a team’s success.
“But being the best player in the world is another thing. And he doesn’t necessarily have to be from Paris Saint-Germain or the Spanish national team. The best player in the world is among two, three, or four, and we know who they are and where they are. And they’re here. And we know who, individually, made history this summer.”
Mourinho further noted that considerations outside sporting performance could potentially affect the Ballon d’Or voting process.
“Then, the Ballon d’Or may also have some political aspects to it. And when politics come into play, I don’t like it as much.
“But you already know my view of the Ballon d’Or, and we’re not going to reinvent it now with the Spanish national team or Paris Saint-Germain. Player? That’s something else,” the Portuguese coach concluded.
