Real Madrid coach José Mourinho expressed support for Kylian Mbappé's pursuit of the Ballon d'Or award, asserting that this prize should recognize the best player in the world, not just those who have won major trophies such as the World Cup or the Champions League.
Mourinho told reporters on Saturday before the match between 'Madrid' and 'Málaga' in La Liga that there are several top players in the world, and he knows who they are. He noted that one of them 'made history individually this summer.'
This statement referred to Mbappé, who became the all-time leading goalscorer in the World Cup tournament during the competition. The captain of the French national team is among the contenders for the Ballon d'Or after leading the scoring charts in La Liga, the Champions League, and the 2026 World Cup last season, despite not winning a major tournament.
His rivals mentioned include English forward Harry Kane, Spanish midfielder Rodri, the European champion from Paris Saint-Germain Ousmane Dembélé, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
After Mbappé scored a hat-trick in Thursday's match between Real Sociedad with a score of 4:1, he was featured on the front page of the Madrid sports newspaper 'AS' on Saturday under the headline: 'Mbappé aims for the Ballon d'Or.'
Mourinho emphasized that the Ballon d'Or should not be given to a player solely for winning the Champions League or the World Cup. He added that the 'Ballon d'Or' should go to one of those players who will be remembered forever after retirement, citing Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazário, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, and Zidane as examples.
The coach also noted that if one wants to reward someone for the Champions League, it should be Luis Enrique, and for the Spanish national team, Luis de la Fuente. In his opinion, the best player in the world is something else, and he does not play for PSG or the Spanish national team.