Jose Mourinho is no doubt one of the few influential football managers that have emerged from Europe. The Portuguese-born and multiple award-winning football tactician, strategist and analyst is widely known for his excellence, charisma and defensive dogma on the field of play.
Though Mourinho’s football philosophy as a warfare (or competition) rather than as an entertainment which often reflects in his management style may be a bone of contention for some football fans, his exploits and records across borders undeniably stood him out as an force to reckon with. Hence, he’s often appeared as a favourite reference of the press when it comes to analysis of significant events in the soccer game.
Following the just concluded 2022 Ballon d’Or award ceremony which held on Monday at Theatre du Chatalet in Paris, Mourinho expressed his excitement about the outcome of the 66th Ballon d’Or which placed Karim Benzema in the first position. In an interview with L’Equipe available here, Mourinho remarked that Benzema’s isn’t a vague success.
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Mourinho who was once a coach to Benzema during his time as manager at Real Madrid FC in 2010-2013 identified three character traits of Karim Benzema that got him the deserved victory. These include; Team spirit, resilience and versatility.
On team spirit, Mourinho describes Benzema as a selfless sportsman who prioritizes the success of the team over personal ambition. According to him:
“Karim is a great person, a team guy. He’s not obsessed with himself, he’s not obsessed with the Ballon d’Or, he’s not a guy obsessed with scoring more goals than A, B or C.
“He’s just a team guy who does a lot, so the Ballon d’Or becomes a natural consequence. I think he’s a guy obsessed with his team”.
Recounting his experience in Bernabéu, the current AS Roma manager, said even though he may have been hard on his former number 9, he’s excited that Benzema has evolved to his full capacity with an impressive display of resilience over the years. This is how Mourinho put his thought:
“His Ballon d’Or is the natural consequence of his great development, rather than the result of a personal obsession.
“When I was his coach, he was a very talented player, searching for his identity as a player of the highest level, with the right ambitions and the right physical condition.
“I wanted him to grow as fast as possible and I was hard on him.
“I corrected him in every little detail, the slightest extra kilo and the slightest minute late in training.
“I don’t know if I influenced his development, only he knows, but his very strong character allowed him to progress.
“I am very happy for him. For the last four or five years he has been a man, the leader in key moments to make history.
“He is a phenomenal footballer at the peak of his potential, physically, mentally and tactically.”
According to Mourinho, another Unique Selling Point of Benzema which makes him compare to other world-class players is his versatility.
“Karim is a versatile player. If there were three Karims in a big team, they would all play: one would be a striker, the other a leader, the last one would play on the left wing.
“I am very happy because sometimes the Ballon d’Or only recognizes pure talent.
“This one crowns both individual talent and a man who has always defended the essence of football: the collective.”
On Monday, 17th October 2022, the French News Magazine France Football confirmed Karim Benzema as the winner of the 2022 Ballon d’Or tittle after a thorough assessment of the French and Real Madrid’s central forward’s performance in the 2021/2022 season. With a total of 44 goals, Benzema championed his team to win four important games namely; Spanish Super cup, Laliga, European cup and Champions league titles in the same season.
Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, Man city Kelvin De bruyne, and former Bayern Munich’s forward, Lewandowski came second, third and fourth respectively.