Former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho believes outgoing Barcelona star Xavi Hernandez “deserved” to win the Ballon d’Or.
However, speaking at a Press conference on Friday, where he was keen to pay tribute to his one-time rival, the Chelsea manager admitted he found it difficult to speak about the 35-year-old because of their contrasting loyalties.
“I’ve known him since he was 16 or 17 years old and rose to the first team,” he was quoted as saying by Sport.
“I don’t know why but he acts like he doesn’t know me whenever [journalists] ask him about me, so I find it hard to talk about him.
“He’s one of the best players of the past decade but [leaves] without one of the titles he deserved the most, the Ballon d’Or.
“Barcelona and Juventus both deserve to be in Berlin. They had good seasons and proved to be far superior to the teams they faced in the semi-finals.”
