--- title: "Mourinho Criticizes 'Politics' in the Ballon d'Or Voting and Subtly Hints at His Favorite" description: "José Mourinho stated that the Ballon d'Or should be awarded to a player of unique individual level, not to the holder of team trophies, and criticized the 'politics' in the voting." date: 2026-08-31T13:40:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/mourinho-ballon-dor-politics-voting-favorite tags: [mourinho, ballon-dor, real-madrid, football, laliga] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Mourinho Criticizes 'Politics' in the Ballon d'Or Voting and Subtly Hints at His Favorite ![Jose Mourinho gesturing on the touchline during a match with blurred stadium crowd in the background](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/31/mourinyu-zolotoy-myach-politika-golosovaniya/mourinyu-zolotoy-myach-politika-golosovaniya-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Mourinho believes the Ballon d'Or should be determined by individual level, not team titles. - In his words, team victories should be rewarded by the coaches — Luis Enrique and De la Fuente. - The Portuguese criticized the 'politics' in the voting and hinted that his favorite is not from PSG and not from the Spanish national team. The head coach of Real Madrid, José Mourinho, publicly commented on the criteria for determining the Ballon d'Or winner, stating that the individual award should not be tied exclusively to team trophies. The Portuguese coach is convinced that the prize should reflect a player's unique individual level, rather than simply the presence of titles in a club or national team's cabinet. This is reported by [Sport RBC.UA](https://www.sport.rbc.ua), citing the Spanish outlet AS. ### Individual Level Above Team Trophies According to Mourinho, the Ballon d'Or is a special recognition that requires an exceptional individual contribution, not an automatic consequence of winning with teams. "We have three or four players of that level. For me, the Ballon d'Or should go to the player we will miss forever after his career ends," emphasized the coach of the "Blancos," effectively proposing an emotional rather than statistical criterion for evaluation. ### "Give the Award to the Coaches" The Portuguese went further, stating that if one evaluates purely team triumphs, it would be more logical to award the prize to the coaches who led their squads to victory. "If you want to reward the Champions League win, give the Ballon d'Or to Luis Enrique. As for Spain — undoubtedly De la Fuente deserves it. That is a great tribute. But the best player in the world is something else. He does not necessarily have to be from PSG or the national team," explained Mourinho, separating the concepts of "team success" and "individual greatness." ### Criticism of 'Politics' in the Voting At the end of his remarks, the Real Madrid head coach expressed disappointment over what he described as bias in the voting. "We know who made history at an individual level this summer. The Ballon d'Or has politics, and if politics is involved, I do not like it as much. You already know my understanding of this award. The best player is something entirely different," added the Portuguese. He did not name anyone directly, however, according to media assessments, he subtly hinted that his favorite is not linked to either PSG or the Spanish national team. ### Context: The Current Season and His Role at Real Madrid Mourinho's remarks came against the backdrop of the active phase of the season: earlier, Real Madrid crushed Real Sociedad in a La Liga match, cementing his status as one of the key coaches in the Spanish championship. His comments on the Ballon d'Or once again reignite the debate over how objective the voting system for football's top individual award is and whether sporting results are being replaced by opportunistic decisions. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Not from PSG or the Spanish national team: Mourinho subtly hints at who should win the Ballon d'Or](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/pszh-chi-zbirnoyi-ispaniyi-mourinyu-prozoro-1788177361.html) - Основной источник цитат; подтверждает тезис о намёке на игрока вне ПСЖ/Испании и критике политики. - ["We know who they are." Mourinho reveals his criterion for the Ballon d'Or and surprises with a statement](https://www.ua-football.com/foreign/spain/1788002880-my-znaem-kto-oni-mourinyu-raskryl-svoy-kriteriy-dlya-zolotogo-myacha-i-udivil-zayavleniem.html) - Совпадает по содержанию цитат и критерию «скучать вечно». - [Mourinho: The Ballon d'Or should be given to one of these players when they retire. We will ...](https://www.sports.ru/football/blogs/3452724.html) - Подтверждает формулировку про троих-четверых игроков и завершение карьеры. - [The block of the century: why Perez denied Mourinho the Ballon d'Or winner](https://www.sports.ru/football/blogs/3423695.html) - Подтверждает формулировку про троих-четверых игроков и завершение карьеры. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: By what criterion does Mourinho propose awarding the Ballon d'Or? **A:** By unique individual level: the award should go to the player whom people will 'miss forever' after his career ends, not simply the holder of team titles. ### Q: Who did Mourinho mention in connection with team victories? **A:** He said that the Champions League win should be rewarded by giving the prize to Luis Enrique, while Spain's successes should be credited to coach De la Fuente. ### Q: Did Mourinho name a specific favorite for the Ballon d'Or? **A:** He did not name anyone directly, but subtly hinted that his favorite is not linked to PSG or the Spanish national team, and criticized the 'politics' in the voting.