José Mourinho has questioned the way the Ballon d’Or is judged, insisting the prestigious individual award should recognise the best player in the world, rather than simply going to a footballer because his team won the Champions League or World Cup.
The Real Madrid manager made his position clear ahead of his side’s upcoming La Liga fixture, arguing that the award should be reserved for players whose individual greatness leaves a lasting mark on football.
Mourinho: Ballon d’Or Should Be About the Best Player
Mourinho pointed to legendary figures such as Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Nazário and Zinedine Zidane as examples of the type of players he believes should define the award.
His argument is that winning a major trophy should not automatically make a player the Ballon d’Or winner.
Mourinho explained that if the award were simply meant to recognise Champions League success, then the honour could instead go to the coach who led the winning team.
He specifically mentioned Luis Enrique in that context.
The Portuguese manager therefore believes there should be a clear distinction between team success and individual excellence.
“The Best Player in the World” Should Win
Mourinho also rejected the idea that the winner must come from a particular club or national team.
He argued that the Ballon d’Or winner does not have to be a Spanish player or someone from Paris Saint-Germain.
Instead, he believes there are only a handful of players currently operating at the very highest level and that the winner should come from that group.
“It needs to go to one of the 3-4 best players in the world, and those guys are HERE.”
The comment is particularly interesting given Mourinho’s position as Real Madrid manager and the presence of several elite players in his squad, including Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham.
Recent reporting has interpreted Mourinho's comments as support for Mbappé, who has enjoyed a strong individual year for Madrid.
Mourinho Questions Politics Around the Award
Mourinho also raised concerns about the influence of politics in Ballon d’Or voting.
“But politics come into the Ballon d'Or, so I don't like getting into politics.”
His comments add another layer to the ongoing debate about how much importance should be placed on Champions League victories, international tournaments, statistics and individual performances when selecting the winner.
The Ballon d’Or is designed to recognise the player judged to have performed best during the relevant season, with the current voting system based on an international jury of specialist journalists.
For Mourinho, however, the principle is simple... the award should belong to the footballer who stands above the rest individually, not automatically to the player holding the biggest trophy.