José Mourinho expressed his own view on the criteria by which the Golden Ball should be awarded, emphasizing a player’s individual merit rather than solely his team’s successes.

The Portuguese coach argued that this award should go to a player who stands out over time and leaves his mark on the sport, citing Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Nazário, and Zinedine Zidane as examples.

At the same time, he emphasized that winning a Champions League or a World Cup should not, in and of itself, be sufficient criteria for determining the winner, while making pointed remarks about the role that politics might play in the process.

“The Ballon d’Or should go to one of those players who, when they retire, we miss forever. Maradona, Cristiano, Messi, Ronaldo, Zidane… You can’t give the Golden Ball to a player simply because he won the Champions League or the World Cup.

If you have to give it to someone just because he won the Champions League, then give it to Luis Enrique.

No. It has to go to the best soccer player in the world. It doesn’t matter if he’s Spanish or a Paris Saint-Germain player. It has to go to one of the top three or four players in the world, and those players are right here.

“But there’s also politics involved in the Ballon d’Or, and that’s why I don’t like to get involved in politics,” he explained in detail.

*photo source: AP