Mourinho Says Ballon d'Or Must Go to Eternal Greats, Not Just Trophy Winners, Sparking Fresh Debate

José Mourinho argued the Ballon d'Or should honor transcendent players like Maradona, Ronaldo, Messi and Zidane rather than being decided mainly by trophies or politics. The remarks reignited debates around recent winners and contenders, polarizing fans along club and national lines.

“🚨🌕 José Mourinho: “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... 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. 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. But politics come into the Ballon d'Or, so I don't like getting into politics””