Mourinho says Ballon d'Or should go to Mbappe for 'making history this summer'

[p][b]"The best players in the world, there are two, three or four of them, and we know who they are: they're here,"[/b] Mourinho told reporters Saturday ahead of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a]'s game [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/malaga-25tIqYiJ/real-madrid-W8mj7MDD/?mid=K8SaDccd"]against Malaga in LaLiga[/a].[/p][p][b]"And for me there is one who, individually, made history this summer," [/b]Mourinho said, in reference to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbappe-kylian/Wn6E2SED/"]Mbappe[/a], who became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history during the tournament.[/p][p]The France captain is among the contenders for the Ballon d'Or after finishing last season as the top scorer in LaLiga, the Champions League and the 2026 World Cup, despite failing to win a major trophy.[/p][image alt="Mbappe's recent player ratings" id="31153c29-c423-4c56-87fb-adfc8a9e7fbc" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="f3149c35-58b7-41e4-98a1-e74b78de9c17" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]His rivals include England striker [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kane-harry/v5HSlEAa/"]Harry Kane[/a], Spain midfielder and World Cup winner [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rodri/K0G8DB00/"]Rodri[/a], and Paris Saint-Germain's European champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dembele-ousmane/zsMC2Ec0/"]Ousmane Dembele[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kvaratskhelia-khvicha/bNuGt0hE/"]Khvicha Kvaratskhelia[/a].[/p][p]Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/real-madrid-W8mj7MDD/real-sociedad-jNvak2f3/?mid=EXneuDoD"]Wednesday's 4-1 win over Real Sociedad[/a], featured on the front page of Madrid-based sports daily AS on Saturday under the headline: 'Mbappe targets the Ballon d'Or'.[/p][embed guid="b7bfd006-7a58-49fd-a481-1e25c221ad29" url="https://x.com/realmadriden/status/2093685099988730063" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"You cannot give the Ballon d'Or to a player simply because he won the Champions League or the World Cup," [/b]said Mourinho.[/p][p][b]"For me, the Ballon d'Or should go to one of those players who, when they retire, will be missed forever. Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Zidane..."[/b] he said.[/p][p][b]"If we want to reward the Champions League, then give it to Luis Enrique. For the Spanish national team, give it to (Luis) De la Fuente. The best player in the world is something else, and he is neither at PSG nor in the Spain team,"[/b] Mourinho added.[/p][infobox id="ec74e862-e221-4cca-911d-224836e2362d" /]