April 10 – Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says the Ballon d’Or prize awarded annually to the world’s best footballer does nothing to improve the game’s team ethic.
The outspoken Portuguese said he agreed with his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger – whose teams are first and second in the Premier league – that the awards concentrate too much on individuals and should be scrapped.
“In this moment football is losing a little bit the concept of the team to focus more on the individual,” said Mourinho whose side is packed with highly-paid foreign stars with little emphasis on developing home-grown talent.
Like all English teams, Chelsea are playing no part in next week’s European club quarterfinals when several previous Ballon d’Or winners will be on display.
“For me, football is collective,” he told England’s Daily Telegraph. “When the top player arrives, the team is already there. It’s not him who comes to discover the team, like Columbus discovering America. No, no, you are coming now to help us be better.”
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