Real Madrid coach José Mourinho has questioned the criterion for awarding the Ballon d’Or, claiming that the prize should not be given to a player solely for winning the Champions League or the World Cup.
Mourinho, addressing ahead of Real Madrid’s LaLiga match against Málaga, stated that the honor should go to a player whose impact on the game will be remembered long after retirement.
“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 for eternity. I miss Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano, Messi, Zizou, Lothar Matthäus… I miss these players,” Mourinho said in a pre-match conference statement on the club website on Saturday.
He said winning major team trophies should not automatically be the deciding factor in determining the world’s best player.
“You can’t give the Ballon d’Or to a player just because he won the Champions League or the World Cup,” he said.
“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.”
The Portuguese coach maintained that recognizing the best individual player was a separate consideration.
“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 also suggested that factors beyond football could influence the outcome of the award.
“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.
