José Mourinho has insisted that the Ballon d’Or should be awarded to the best individual player in the world, rather than simply going to a player because his team won the Champions League or World Cup.
The Real Madrid coach made the remarks at his pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s home clash with Málaga on Sunday.
Madrid have won their first two matches already having faced Espanyol and Real Sociedad this season and will be looking to continue their campaign against Málaga.
The Portuguese tactician argued that the Ballon d’Or should recognise players whose exceptional careers leave a lasting legacy, citing football legends such as Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Nazário and Zinedine Zidane as examples.
“The Ballon d’Or should go to one of those players who, when they retire, we miss them for eternity. Maradona, Cristiano, Messi, R9, Zidane,” Mourinho said.
He also criticised the idea of awarding the prize primarily because a player has won the UEFA Champions League or the World Cup.
“You can’t give the Ballon d’Or to a guy just for winning the UCL or the World Cup. If you should give it to someone just for winning the UCL, then give it to Luis Enrique,” he added.
Mourinho stressed that nationality or club affiliation should not influence the decision, saying the award should instead recognise one of the three or four outstanding players in world football.
“No, it needs to go to the best player in the world, not necessarily a Spanish guy, or a PSG player. It needs to go to one of the 3-4 best players in the world, and those guys are HERE,” he said.
The former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester United manager also suggested that politics sometimes influences the Ballon d’Or voting process, although he said he preferred not to get involved in such debates.
“But politics come into the Ballon d’Or, so I don’t like getting into politics,” Mourinho concluded.
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