BALLON D’OR SHOULD HONOUR PLAYERS WHO LEAVE LASTING LEGACY - MOURINHO

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By: Balogun Ibrahim

Real Madrid coach José Mourinho has criticised the criteria used to determine the Ballon d’Or winner, insisting that the award should recognise individual brilliance rather than simply reward players who win major team trophies.

Speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s LaLiga meeting with Málaga, Mourinho argued that lifting the Champions League or World Cup should not automatically make a player the world’s best.

The Portuguese manager said the Ballon d’Or should honour players whose influence on football remains unforgettable even after they retire.

Mourinho cited legendary figures such as Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazário, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane and Lothar Matthäus as examples of players whose impact transcended trophies.

“You can’t give the Ballon d’Or to a player just because he won the Champions or the World Cup,” Mourinho said in a pre-match press conference published on the club’s website on Saturday.

He suggested that if team success were the main criterion, the award should instead recognise the coaches or teams responsible for those achievements.

“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,” he said.

Mourinho stressed that being part of a successful team should be separated from determining who is the best individual footballer in the world.

He added that political considerations could sometimes influence the award, saying he was uncomfortable when factors outside individual performances became part of the selection process.

For Mourinho, the Ballon d’Or should ultimately celebrate players whose individual contributions leave a lasting mark on the sport.