Jose Mourinho, perhaps for once, has publicly agreed with Arsene Wenger’s position on the Ballon d’Or, suggesting that football has lost focus on the contribution of the whole team, as opposed to accrediting individuals with the prestigious award.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the award for the last 6 years, with the Real Madrid forward winning the prize for the second successive year in January after scoring 52 goals in 43 games during 2014.
Arsene Wenger has previously suggested that he is a “team-lover”, and therefore “completely against†the Ballon d’Or.
“I think Wenger said something that is interesting; he is against the Ballon d’Or, and I think he’s right, because in this moment football is losing a little bit the concept of the team to focus more on the individual,†Mourinho said in an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph.
“We are always looking at the individual performance, the individual stat, the player that runs more. Because you run 11km in a game and I run nine you did a better job than I did? Maybe not! Maybe my 9km were more important than your 11.â€
It would, however, be interesting to see the Blues’ boss’ position on the award should Chelsea names feature on the shortlist in the next few years, with Eden Hazard suitably heading in the right direction.