Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho has slammed the often cited criteria for winning the Ballon d’Or during a press conference to preview his team’s Sunday night clash against Malaga.
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Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho has heavily criticized the current criteria used for the Ballon d’Or during remarks ahead of the team’s match against Malaga.
Without naming names directly, the Portuguese manager strongly endorsed his player Kylian Mbappe for the prestigious individual award.
When asked by reporters to evaluate the front-runners for football’s most coveted individual honour, which is determined by a France Football panel, Mourinho stated that true legend status is paramount.
“It’s a very beautiful thing individually and it goes into the individual history of a player… The Ballon d’Or has to be one of those players who are missed for eternity when they retire: Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario, Messi, Zidane… You can’t give the Ballon d’Or to someone because they have won the World Cup or the European Championship,” he said.
`Mourinho’s remarks were widely interpreted as a critique offootballers from other clubs who may be nominated based on recent team success rather than all-time individual greatness, such as potential FC Barcelona candidates like Rodri or Lamine Yamal.`
“Before that, you have to give it to Luis Enrique or Luis De la Fuente for their work with two great teams. But the best player in the world does not have to be from PSG or the Spanish national team. We know who has made history this summer,” Mourinho said, in a pointed nod to Mbappé.
Mourinho concluded that the selection process inevitably becomes entangled in political issues beyond the pure ranking of player performance.
Mourinho Expresses Concern Over International Break Schedule
The Real Madrid manager also turned his attention to the upcoming schedule, expressing significant concerns regarding the three-week international break.
“The national team games worry me,” Mourinho confessed, highlighting the risk of players being injured either during the break or upon their return.
“It’s a long time. The players who go with the national team to play worry me less than those who go to the national team without playing.”
He further explained that dealing with different national team coaches presents a logistical challenge, especially in the absence of established trust and communication. Mourirno emphasized that due to a lack of friendship and mutual understanding with some coaches, the situation becomes very complicated to manage, relying only on the professionalism of those involved.
Real Madrid is scheduled to take on Malaga at 17:00 local time on Sunday afternoon.
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