{
  "id": 4205282,
  "title": "Mourinho says Mbappe worthy of Ballon d’Or",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/mourinho-says-mbappe-worthy-of-ballon-dor-4205282",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-29T12:55:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/08/29/mourinho-says-mbappe-worthy-of-ballon-d-or"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Madrid coach Jose Mourinho believes Kylian Mbappe deserves to win the Ballon d'Or this year, asserting that the award should be given to the world's best player rather than being contingent on World Cup or Champions League success. The Real Madrid manager stated that there are two, three, or four top players in the world, and they are present at the club. Mourinho singled out Mbappe, who set the record for the most goals in World Cup history during the tournament, as the player who made history this summer. The France captain is among the contenders for the Ballon d'Or, alongside Harry Kane, Rodri, Ousmane Dembele, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Despite failing to win a major trophy, Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick against Real Sociedad, remains a frontrunner for the prestigious award. Mourinho emphasized that the Ballon d'Or should be awarded to a player who will be mourned forever when they retire, citing legends such as Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldo, Messi, and Zidane as examples. He added that the Champions League and World Cup should not be the sole criteria for the award, suggesting that Luis Enrique and Luis de la Fuente deserve recognition for their contributions to the Spanish national team.",
  "summary": "The Real Madrid coach argued that the award should go to 'the best player in the world' rather than be decided by World Cup or Champions League success.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "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": "The Indian Express",
        "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",
        "published": "2026-08-29T13:09:42.000Z"
      },
      {
        "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."
}