Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has voiced concern over the upcoming three-week international break, describing the extended absence of his players as a difficult situation for the club.

"The international break does concern me," Mourinho said ahead of Sunday's La Liga home fixture against Malaga. "It's a lot of time."

Players who sit on the bench worry me most

Mourinho was careful to draw a distinction between players who will feature regularly for their countries and those who travel but rarely see the pitch. "Players who will join their national teams to play don't worry me as much," he explained. "It's the ones who join the national teams and are not really involved that concern me."

The three-week break — scheduled to run across late September and early October — is a week longer than the standard international window. FIFA has restructured the calendar so that nations now play four international matches during this single consolidated period, replacing the separate September and October breaks that had been used in recent years.

Several factors drove the change, among them the 2026 World Cup final being played on 19 July — the latest date for a summer final since 1966 — as well as player welfare and travel considerations.

Mourinho acknowledged he had little power to alter the situation but remained candid about the risks. "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."

Managing the World Cup stars

The Real Madrid boss has previously spoken about the workload facing his squad members who participated in the summer's FIFA World Cup 2026, including Jude Bellingham, Marc Cucurella, and Kylian Mbappe. He confirmed the club are actively managing their minutes to reduce injury risk.

Mourinho reserved particular praise for Bellingham, describing him as a player whose value extends far beyond goals and assists. "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."

"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," he added.

Mourinho's take on the Ballon d'Or

The Real Madrid manager also weighed in on the ongoing Ballon d'Or conversation, arguing that winning the UEFA Champions League or the FIFA World Cup should not automatically crown a player the favourite for the individual award.

"You can't give the Ballon d'Or to a player because he won the Champions League or because he won the World Cup," Mourinho stated. "It doesn't have to be from Paris St-Germain or the Spanish national team."

For Mourinho, the award's true measure lies in a player's enduring legacy. "For me, the Ballon d'Or has to be one of those players that when he finishes playing, we miss for eternity," he said, citing Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, and Lothar Matthaus as examples of players who have left that indelible mark on the game.