Mourinho says Ballon d’Or must recognise lasting greatness

Jose Mourinho has said the Ballon d’Or should reward players whose influence and individual brilliance make them impossible to replace, rather than simply honouring winners of the Champions League or World Cup.

The Real Madrid manager was speaking at a news conference before Sunday’s La Liga meeting with Malaga at the Bernabeu, where he also provided updates on Endrick and Aurelien Tchouameni.

“It is a wonderful individual award. This prize enters the personal history of a particular player. There are around 12 players at a very high level, and we have three or four of them at Real Madrid,” Mourinho said.

He argued that the award should be reserved for footballers whose absence is felt long after their careers have ended.

“For me, the Ballon d’Or should go to those players we will miss forever when they retire. I miss Maradona, Ronaldo Nazario, Messi, Zidane and Matthaus,” he said.

“You cannot give the Ballon d’Or to players simply because they have won the Champions League or the World Cup. If you want to reward the Champions League winner, give the Ballon d’Or to Luis Enrique.”

Mourinho also questioned whether Spain’s success should determine the identity of the world’s best player. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, he said, would be a deserving recipient of the honour connected with the country’s achievements.

“As far as Spain is concerned, De la Fuente definitely deserves it. This is the greatest tribute. The best in the world is something else; he should not necessarily come from Paris Saint-Germain or Spain,” Mourinho added.

“There are two, three or four of them, and we know who they are. We know where they are; they are here. We know who made history individually this summer.”

The Portuguese manager then criticised what he considers to be political influence in the voting process.

“The Ballon d’Or has a political character, and if politics gets involved, I do not like that,” he said.

Mourinho expects Endrick to be the first of his injured players to return. However, he does not want to take unnecessary risks with the forward ahead of the club’s next fixture.

“Endrick is the closest to returning. I do not want to risk him against Real Betis. Honestly, he could be ready for the Betis match, in the fourth round of La Liga, or for the first Champions League game,” Mourinho said.

The situation involving Tchouameni is less straightforward, according to Mourinho, who said the club would take a cautious approach rather than repeatedly bringing the midfielder back before he is fully ready.

“The other cases are more complicated. Regarding Tchouameni, we have to control our emotions. I do not want him coming in and going out repeatedly. I do not want us to start the season in August in a situation like this. I hope Tchouameni will be ready, but it is better to wait a little longer,” he added.