Luis Enrique may not care about the Ballon d’Or, but he still thinks a PSG player should win it.
The Paris coach has long said he doesn’t like individual awards, often lashing out at the attention Ousmane Dembele’s 2026 win got.
However, he did have a comment on Jose Mourinho’s claims a PSG player shouldn’t win it.
The Real Madrid coach went on a lengthy talk about how there was no stand-out player from Champions League winners PSG or World Cup winners Spain.
He said that giving an award would to either would be ‘invention’ and said it should go to the player who made history – Kylian Mbappe – who became the World Cup’s all-time top scorer.
Luis Enrique responds to Mourinho’s PSG comments
Responding to the take, Luis Enrique said: “We have all kinds of players [who should win it]; several have won the Champions League, then there’s Fabian (Ruiz) who has also won the World Cup, and then there’s Dembele.
“I could be wrong in my prediction. But I’m not interested in individual awards, because we’re talking about a team sport.”
Mourinho’s claims over the Ballon d’Or had already made headlines, but he was sure to flatter Luis Enrique.
Why Mourinho thinks Mbappe deserves the Ballon d’Or
“It’s a very beautiful thing on an individual level,” he said. “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.
“We’re going to invent it [a winner] in Spain or at PSG? There, Luis Enrique or De la Fuente. The best player is someone else.”
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