Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has expressed unease about the upcoming three-week international break in September, warning that the extended period away from the club could pose problems for his squad.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Real Madrid's home La Liga fixture against Malaga on Sunday, Mourinho did not hide his worries about the disruption the break could cause. "The international break does concern me," he said. "It's a lot of time."
The manager clarified that his concern is not primarily about players who feature regularly for their national teams, but rather those who travel with their countries only to sit on the bench. "Players who will join their national teams to play don't worry me as much. It's the ones who join the national teams and are not really involved that concern me," Mourinho explained. He added that his staff would have to adapt their planning around the situation: "We'll see how we can go about this and work with the rest of the players. But not having players at my disposal for three weeks is a difficult situation."
The change stems from a revised international calendar for the 2026-27 season, which merges the usual September and October breaks into a single three-week window in late September and early October. During this period, national teams will play four matches instead of the customary two. FIFA has traditionally scheduled five major international windows throughout the season — in March, June, September, October, and November — but the October slot has now been folded into September's, while the November, March, and June breaks remain unchanged.
Several factors reportedly influenced the restructuring, including the 2026 World Cup final being pushed to 19 July, the latest date for a summer World Cup since 1966, alongside broader concerns about player welfare and travel logistics.
Mourinho reiterated his respect for international football but stressed the physical toll such breaks can take on players. "I totally respect the players' decisions and I don't want to dramatise too much, but very often they pick up injuries during those breaks and right after returning from an international break," he said. "So it does worry me, but this is the way these things are and we can't do much about it."
The Portuguese coach has already been managing a heavy squad workload following a demanding summer for several of his key men, including Jude Bellingham, Marc Cucurella, and Kylian Mbappe, all of whom were involved in major international commitments. Mourinho confirmed the club is taking steps to manage their fitness levels carefully to avoid injury risks.
Turning to individual praise, Mourinho lauded Bellingham's all-around contribution to the team, going beyond his attacking output. "He is a unique kind of player, extremely important for the team," Mourinho said. "His mental strength, tactical ability, the way he recovers the ball, the way he pressures, the way he plays up front." He added, "We like talking about Kylian, Vini [Vinicius Jr] and Jude, but I'm really happy with all the players. We have great, great players here."
Mourinho also touched on the ongoing Ballon d'Or debate, arguing that major trophies such as the Champions League or World Cup shouldn't automatically determine the favourite for the individual prize. "It's a very beautiful thing individually and that enters into the individual history of a certain player," he said, adding that a handful of players deserve consideration each year. He explained that true Ballon d'Or winners should be measured by their lasting legacy: "For me, the Ballon d'Or has to be one of those players that when he finishes playing, we miss for eternity. I miss Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano, Messi, Zizou, Lothar Matthaus - I miss these people. You can't give the Ballon d'Or to a player because he won the Champions League or because he won the World Cup. It doesn't have to be from Paris St-Germain or the Spanish national team."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.