{
  "id": 4196321,
  "title": "‘If politics gets involved, I do not like that’: Jose Mourinho on Ballon d’Or",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/if-politics-gets-involved-i-do-not-like-that-jose-mourinho-on-ballon",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-29T13:09:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/jose-mourinho-on-ballon-dor-politics-world-cup-ucl-10854848/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho expressed his thoughts on the prestigious Ballon d'Or award, stating that it should go to the world's best player, not necessarily the one from the team that claimed the World Cup or the Champions League title. Mourinho believes the award holds personal significance for the recipient and should be given to those who leave a lasting impact on the sport, such as Maradona, Ronaldo Nazário, Messi, Zidane, and Matthäus. He criticized the notion of awarding the Ballon d'Or solely to players based on their Champions League or World Cup victories, emphasizing that the honor should go to the best individual performer, regardless of their club allegiance. Mourinho further denounced the idea of politicizing the award, affirming that he does not appreciate its involvement in political matters.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Mourinho says Mbappe worthy of Ballon d’Or",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/mourinho-says-mbappe-worthy-of-ballon-dor-4202338",
        "published": "2026-08-29T12:55:10.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Mourinho says Mbappe worthy of Ballon d'Or",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/mourinho-says-mbappe-worthy-of-ballon-dor",
        "published": "2026-08-29T13:14:05.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Citizen",
        "title": "Mourinho says Mbappe worthy of Ballon d’Or",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/mourinho-says-mbappe-worthy-of-ballon-dor-4224752",
        "published": "2026-08-29T14:45:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Mourinho questions Ballon d’Or criteria, says trophies shouldn’t decide winner",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/mourinho-questions-ballon-dor-criteria-says-trophies-shouldnt-decide",
        "published": "2026-08-29T15:08:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}