Mourinho questions Ballon d’Or criteria, says trophies shouldn’t decide winner

Real Madrid coach José Mourinho has questioned the criteria for awarding the Ballon d’Or, arguing that the prize should not be given to a player simply because he won the Champions League or World Cup.

Mourinho, speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s LaLiga clash against Málaga, said the award should go to a player whose impact on the game would 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 them 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.

The Portuguese coach 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 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.”

Mourinho maintained that recognising 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.”

He 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.