José Mourinho has made his position clear on who should win the 2026 Ballon d'Or. Although he did not mention him by name, the Real Madrid manager appeared to make his choice clear: Kylian Mbappé.

The Portuguese coach shared a lengthy reflection on how he views the award, arguing that the Ballon d'Or should go to players who leave a lasting legacy in football rather than being decided solely by success in a particular competition or season.

"It's a very beautiful thing on an individual level. You become part of a player's individual history. This dozen or so players of a very, very high level, of whom we have three or four. It's normal that this ambition exists. For me, the Ballon d'Or has to be for those players who, when they retire, we miss forever. I miss Maradona, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cristiano, Messi, Zidane, Matthäus... You can't give the Ballon d'Or just because someone won the Champions League or the World Cup. If you want to reward the Champions League, give the Ballon d'Or to Luis Enrique as best coach. For Spain, De la Fuente certainly deserves it. This is the great tribute. The best in the world is another matter; it doesn't have to be from PSG or Spain. There are two, three, or four of them, and we know who they are. We know where they are, here. We know who has made history individually this summer. The Ballon d'Or has its political side, and if politics gets involved, I don't like it as much. We already know my concept of the Ballon d'Or. No, we're not going to invent it in Spain or at PSG. There, Luis Enrique or De la Fuente. The best player is someone else."

Mourinho's comments leave little doubt about his preferred candidate. The Real Madrid manager believes the award should recognize the best individual player in the world, and his reference to the players "here" strongly suggests that Mbappé is his choice for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

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