AFCON 2025
Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester United manager, has revealed his picks for the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
The Fenerbahce boss is backing Paris Saint-Germain’s Portuguese stars Vitinha and Nuno Mendes.
Speaking to Canal11 via SPORTbible, Mourinho emphasized that individual awards should tie to team success, saying,
“And for me, any individual trophy must always have a direct connection to titles. I love them both [Vitinha and Mendes]; I can’t tell the difference.
“The only thing I’d say is that there’s still a small group of good midfielders there, and now full-backs like that. I’d like one of them to win, obviously, but then Jorge Mendes will get mad at me because he only thinks Yamal, his player, should win.”
Despite his preference for his compatriots, Mourinho acknowledged the strong cases for PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who are among the favorites.
Vitinha, Mendes, and Dembélé played key roles in PSG’s domestic treble and Champions League triumph last season, though they suffered a heavy defeat to Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup final.
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