Coach Mourinho makes shocking prediction about the Golden Ball race

(Dan Tri) - Coach Jose Mourinho did not hesitate to express his opinion when asked who deserved to win the 2025 Ballon d'Or. He crossed out both players Ousmane Dembele and Lamine Yamal.

Dembele is considered the leading candidate for the Ballon d'Or after a brilliant season with PSG. The French striker scored 35 goals and assisted 16 times in 53 matches. Thanks to that, the Paris team won the Champions League and reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Coach Mourinho said that neither Yamal nor Dembele deserved to win the Ballon d'Or (Photo: Marca).

Dembele’s biggest rival in the Ballon d’Or race is said to be Lamine Yamal, the emerging “prodigy” of Spanish football. This 18-year-old player has 18 goals and 25 assists, contributing greatly to Barcelona’s La Liga and Spanish King’s Cup titles. However, Hansi Flick’s team was eliminated by Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-finals.

Although both Dembele and Yamal had excellent seasons, coach Mourinho believes that neither of them deserves the Ballon d'Or award.

In an interview with Canal 11, the Portuguese strategist clearly stated the criteria: "Football, no matter how much we deify players or coaches, for me, is always a team game. Any individual award must be linked to a team title, especially the Champions League."

With this statement, he eliminated Yamal from the race because Barcelona did not win the European championship. However, instead of supporting Dembele, the "Special One" called out two compatriots, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha.

Coach Mourinho supports two compatriots Nuno Mendes and Vitinha to win the Ballon d'Or (Photo: Getty).

The coach born in 1963 added: “Personally, I really like Nuno Mendes and Vitinha. I can’t say who is better. What I can say is that football today is lacking good central midfielders and quality left-backs like them. I would like one of them to be honored. But if so, super agent Jorge Mendes will not be happy, because he thinks Yamal, his player, is the one who deserves it.”

The coach is currently leading Turkish club Fenerbahce. Last season, his team finished second in the Turkish national championship, 11 points behind arch-rivals Galatasaray.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or award ceremony will take place on September 22 in Paris, a month earlier than last year, when Manchester City midfielder Rodri beat Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr to win the title.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-mourinho-du-doan-gay-soc-ve-cuoc-dua-qua-bong-vang-20250724200516138.htm