Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has expressed concern over the impact of the upcoming three-week international break, warning that being without several players for such a lengthy period could create difficulties for clubs.
Mourinho spoke about the issue ahead of Real Madrid’s La Liga clash against Malaga on Sunday, saying he is particularly worried about players who leave their clubs to join national teams but receive little or no playing time.
“The international break does concern me. It’s a lot of time,” Mourinho said. “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.
“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 season will be longer than usual after changes to the football calendar saw the traditional October international break removed.
Instead of separate international windows in September and October, players will now be away from their clubs for a three-week period spanning late September and early October.
National teams are expected to play four international matches during the extended window instead of the usual two.
The existing international breaks in November, March and June are expected to remain unchanged.
The changes were influenced by several factors, including the late conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, whose final was played on July 19, as well as concerns surrounding player welfare and international travel.
Mourinho said the risk of injuries during international duty was another major concern for managers.
“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,” the Portuguese coach said.
“So it does worry me, but this is the way these things are and we can’t do much about it.”
Mourinho has already spoken about managing the workload of several players in his Real Madrid squad who featured prominently during the World Cup.
Among the players he highlighted are Jude Bellingham, Marc Cucurella and Kylian Mbappe, who all endured demanding schedules during the summer.
The Real Madrid boss said the club was working to carefully manage the fitness and workload of its players in order to reduce the risk of injuries.
Mourinho also reserved special praise for Bellingham, describing the England international as a key player whose influence extends beyond his attacking contributions.
“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 and Jude, but I’m really happy with all the players.
“We have great, great players here.”
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Mourinho also shared his views on the race for the Ballon d’Or, insisting that winning the Champions League or the World Cup should not automatically guarantee a player the individual award.
According to him, the winner should be judged largely by the player’s lasting impact and contribution to football.
“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 and Lothar Matthaus.
“You can’t give the Ballon d’Or to a player because he won the Champions League or because he won the World Cup.”
Real Madrid will now turn their attention to Sunday’s league encounter against Malaga before preparing for the extended international break.
