Mourinho Discusses Ballon d'Or and Málaga Match

Jose Mourinho walked into the media room at Valdebebas with a league game against Málaga on the horizon and a familiar subject waiting for him. The Ballon d’Or. He did not dodge it. He rarely does.

Mourinho redraws the Ballon d’Or debate

For Mourinho, the award has drifted away from what it should be.

"It's very beautiful individually," he began, before shifting the focus. "You enter into the individual history of a particular player. This dozen players of a very, very high level, of whom we have three or four. It's normal that this exists as an ambition."

Then came the line that framed his entire argument.

"For me, the Ballon d'Or has to go to those players who, when they retire, we miss forever. I miss Maradona, Nazario, Messi, Zidane, Matthäus… You can't give the Ballon d'Or just because they won the Champions League or the World Cup."

If the award is about trophies, Mourinho argued, then it belongs to the coaches who lifted them.

"If you want to reward the Champions League, give the Ballon d'Or to Luis Enrique. For Spain, De La Fuente certainly deserves it. This is the great tribute. Another thing is the best in the world; it doesn't have to be from PSG or Spain. There are two, three, or four, and we know who they are. We know where they are — here. We know who has made history individually this summer."

Then he went straight at what he sees as the problem.

"The Ballon d'Or has politics, and if politics gets involved, I don't like it so much. We already know my concept of the Ballon d'Or. We're not going to invent it in Spain or at PSG. There, it's Luis Enrique or De La Fuente. The best player is someone else."

No names. But the message from the Real Madrid coach was clear enough.

Squad choices and the Málaga plan

When the conversation moved to Málaga, Mourinho spoke like a coach who trusts his depth.

"There are players who, I keep saying, have had different preseason experiences. We have a strong squad with solutions to compensate for these issues," he said.

Then he dropped a concrete decision.

"Tomorrow, Cucurella starts, and Álvaro, who played well against Espanyol and Real Sociedad, will be on the bench. If Cucurella runs out of steam, we have Álvaro to come on. It's the kind of solution a squad like this provides a coach."

No drama, just rotation and options.

‘Concentration’ where it really matters

A question about the group’s concentration took Mourinho to one of his favourite themes: mentality.

"There are two kinds of concentration. The one you're talking about, being together, sleeping in a hotel, in Valdebebas… The one I'm interested in is the one here," he said, pointing to his head.

"It has nothing to do with sleeping in a hotel, it's here. Sometimes I think, and it saddens me, that all you see is warm-ups and rondo drills. In my other job, there's a lot of concentration. This is what interests me."

Real Madrid are not staying in a hotel this time.

"Sleeping or not sleeping, it depends. We're not sleeping today. The players are together. We have a tactical meeting now, we're eating together. We'll be together a little longer and then we'll see each other in the morning. Espi, Cucurella, and I are sleeping here. The rest are going home."

The message: the real preparation is mental and tactical, not about where you put your head down at night.

Diomande, late arrival, gradual build

Yan Diomande’s situation came up, and Mourinho shut down any attempt to single him out too much.

"I'm not going to say anything more about individual players," he started, before giving context anyway.

"Diomande arrived late and had a difficult summer because of the decision. He didn't train with Leipzig; when he arrived, he didn't have a foundation to work with, and he's progressing gradually. He's already had playing time, which is what he needs to develop. Tomorrow he'll either start or come on as a substitute. He's getting more and more ready."

No hype. Just a clear roadmap.

Bellingham, and the stars that make a team

When Jude Bellingham’s name was mentioned, Mourinho’s tone sharpened with admiration.

"He's unique. Super important for the team. He has different talents: physical, mental, tactical, ball recovery, his goal-scoring ability, his aerial game. He's impressive."

He grouped Bellingham with two more headline names.

"I really like talking about Kylian, Vini, Jude. I understand the questions. But I'm very happy with everyone. As I said, here we only have great players and truly great players."

Then he pulled the focus back to the collective.

"The team has to function as a team. Real Madrid fans go to the Bernabéu to see these exceptional players, but they also go to see a team play as a team, suffer as a team, face difficulties as a team, and dominate as a team. I'm the coach of that team, and I really like the players I have."

Superstars, yes. But always inside a structure.

Castilla, Thiago Pitarch and the pathway up

Mourinho also highlighted the work done below the first team, particularly by Arbeloa with Castilla.

"Arbeloa has done a fantastic job in defense. Up front, the situation is different, and it hasn't been easy. He's done a fantastic job with the players. There isn't a single Castilla player I don't like."

One name, Thiago Pitarch, has clearly convinced him.

"Thiago has shown he's no longer fit for the Castilla division. I like him a lot. He's part of this group of 21 players. We have Ciria, Cestero, and two goalkeepers on the bench because we don't have many options. When he's fit, he'll be part of the group and will get playing time."

Then came a typically blunt Mourinho aside.

"I tell him his leg muscles are the same as mine, and he needs to put on a couple of kilos through hard work."

The door is open, but the work is non-negotiable.

Freedom for the attackers, structure for the team

Asked about how much freedom his forwards enjoy, Mourinho underlined how elite talent can transform a coach’s image.

"When you have players of incredible quality, they make the coach look like a phenomenon. They do things that go beyond the everyday routine."

But that doesn’t mean Real Madrid train on vibes alone.

"We work on defense and attack. Today, the entire 45 minutes of training were dedicated to offensive organization. We worked on tactical formations and movement. When things get tough, they win matches."

He wants them guided, not shackled.

"We have to give them space for creativity and for their ability to make decisions. We have to be organized. We're improving in that area."

Endrick, Tchouameni and the injury calculus

On the injury front, Mourinho sounded cautious, especially with the season stretching out ahead.

"[Endrick] is the closest to returning. I don't want to take any risks with Betis. Like I said, he could be ready for Betis or for the first Champions League match."

The rest of the injury list is more delicate.

"The other situations are more complicated. With Tchouameni, we have to keep our emotions in check. I don't want him to be in and out, in and out again. I don't want to start the season in August with a situation like this. I hope to have Tchouameni fit again, and I prefer to wait a little longer."

Short-term temptation against long-term stability. Mourinho has nailed his colours to the latter.

International break anxiety

The looming international window clearly irritates him.

"International matches worry me. It's a long time. I'm less concerned about players who go with their national teams to play than those who are selected but don't play. Those are the ones I worry about the most."

His relationship with Carlo Ancelotti offers some reassurance.

"My relationship with Carlo means I'm aware of the situation, and we'll exchange information. With Carlo, it won't be a problem. With others, where we don't have this level of trust, having players away for three weeks is very complicated."

He called for professionalism from national-team coaches, while acknowledging the reality.

"We're going to have faith in the professionalism of those coaches, in the respect they have for the players and the clubs. I don't want to dramatize it. Often, there are injuries while on international duty, and then when they return to their clubs, they lose the balance of the work they'd been doing for weeks, and then the injury happens. It is what it is, and there's nothing we can do about it."

Problems to come, and how to face them

Asked whether managing the group or working tactically was harder, Mourinho shrugged off the idea that either task overwhelmed him.

"I don't feel that anything is difficult. I see it as natural. Problems are a natural part of life. We haven't had our first problem yet, but it's going to come. Whether it's tactical or related to team management, it's normal for it to happen. You have to see it as a natural occurrence and manage it as a natural one."

No illusions. Just preparation.

Respect for Ancelotti, and the XI ‘leaks’

On Ancelotti himself, Mourinho was brief and emphatic.

"Ancelotti is a great man in every way. He doesn't have a weak point. He's a great man at every level."

Finally, the inevitable question about line-ups leaking early.

"If we go into tomorrow's match and the opposition doesn't know our lineup until an hour and a half before kickoff, I prefer that. But if our lineup starts today, it's not a big deal."

The real issue, he said, only comes with surprises.

"The worrying thing is when you make a lot of structural changes. If we played with three centre-backs, with Espi and Kylian together. If we do something that's outside of what the Málaga manager might expect, then yes, it's a concern. But the difference between Carreras and Cucurella isn't a big deal."

Then he pointed to one small detail that pleased him.

"The positive feeling about him not starting is that nobody has spoken about it. Not the players, not the kit men, not the doctors… But if he does start, it's not a big deal."

Málaga arrive next. The Ballon d’Or debate will rage on, the injuries will be managed, the international break will loom. Mourinho, though, has made one thing very clear: in his Madrid, the stars shine, but the team — and the idea of what greatness really is — comes first.