Renowned manager José Mourinho, formerly of Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester United, has revealed his preferred picks for the 2025 Ballon d’Or—backing Portuguese duo Vitinha and Nuno Mendes of Paris Saint-Germain over other leading contenders.
Speaking to Canal11, Mourinho expressed his admiration for the pair, both of whom played key roles in PSG’s historic season, which included a domestic treble and a UEFA Champions League triumph. Despite strong support for Barcelona star Lamine Yamal and PSG teammate Ousmane Dembélé in the Ballon d’Or race, Mourinho made it clear where his loyalties lie.
“For me, any individual trophy must always have a direct connection to team titles,” Mourinho said, as quoted by SPORTbible. “I love them both [Vitinha and Mendes]; I can’t separate them. Midfielders like Vitinha are still in short supply, and now full-backs like Mendes are just as rare.”
He added humorously that his agent, Jorge Mendes, may not be thrilled with his stance: “Jorge Mendes will be mad at me because he only thinks Yamal, his player, should win.”
While Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembélé remain front-runners in the race for this year’s award, Mourinho’s comments reflect the growing recognition of Vitinha and Mendes, whose outstanding performances were vital to PSG’s dominant season. PSG also reached the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, where they were convincingly beaten by Chelsea.
