Mourinho surprised by Jude Bellingham’s position in Ballon d'Or final ranking

Real Madrid manager, Jose Mourinho, has admitted he was “a bit surprised” that Jude Bellingham finished 11th in the 2026 Ballon d’Or final ranking.

Mourinho spoke at his pre-match press conference ahead of Real Madrid’s LaLiga clash with Racing Santander on Sunday evening.

“Regarding the Ballon d’Or voting, the thing that left me a bit surprised is the position of Jude Bellingham, who was eleventh. No further comments,” Mourinho said.

Recall that Bellingham finished outside of the 2026 Ballon d’Or top 10 despite his impressive display for England at the World Cup.

His England international teammate Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé.

Bellingham scored seven goals and registered one assist in eight matches for the Three Lions at the World Cup.