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.
