Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho says the three-week international break planned for September will create a “difficult situation” by leaving him without some of his players for an extended period.
“The international break does concern me,” Mourinho said. “It’s a lot of time.”
Mourinho was speaking before Real Madrid’s home La Liga match against Malaga on Sunday, which kicks off at 16:00 BST. His main concern is not with players who are selected and regularly play for their countries, but with those who travel internationally without being involved in matches.
“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,” he said.
“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 first international break of the 2026-27 men’s football season will last a week longer than the usual window. The traditional October break has been removed, with international fixtures instead being played during one extended period across late September and early October.
Countries will play four international matches during that three-week gap, rather than the two matches normally scheduled across separate September and October breaks.
In recent seasons, Fifa has operated five main international windows in March, June, September, October and November. Under the revised calendar, the November, March and June breaks will remain, while the September and October windows will be combined.
The changes are partly linked to the 2026 World Cup, whose final will be played on 19 July – the latest date for a summer World Cup since 1966. Player welfare and travel demands were also considered when the new schedule was created.
Mourinho said he respected players’ choices to represent their countries but remained concerned about the possibility of injuries during or immediately after international duty.
“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,” Mourinho explained.
“So it does worry me, but this is the way these things are and we can’t do much about it.”
The Portuguese manager has already discussed the workload facing Real Madrid’s World Cup players, including Jude Bellingham, Marc Cucurella and Kylian Mbappe, after a demanding summer.
The club are working to manage their minutes and physical demands in an effort to reduce the risk of injuries.
Mourinho also praised Bellingham ahead of the Malaga game, saying the England midfielder’s contribution extends well beyond his goals and attacking play.
“He is a unique kind of player, extremely important for the team,” said Mourinho.
“His mental strength, tactical ability, the way he recovers the ball, the way he pressures, the way he plays up front.
“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.”
The Real Madrid manager was also asked about the Ballon d’Or and rejected the idea that winning the Champions League or World Cup should automatically make a player the leading candidate.
He accepted that success with club or country forms part of a player’s individual history, but said the award should recognise a more enduring influence on football.
“It’s a very beautiful thing individually, and that enters into the individual history of a certain player,” Mourinho said.
“I think it’s normal that there are a dozen players of a very high level, of which we have three or four. It is normal that it exists as an ambition.”
Mourinho added that the Ballon d’Or should ultimately go to a player whose absence is felt long after retirement.
“For me, the Ballon d’Or has to be one of those players that when he finishes playing, we miss for eternity,” Mourinho said.
“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 Saint-Germain or the Spanish national team.”
