Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has raised concerns about the impact of September’s three-week international break, warning that being without his full squad for an extended period could make preparation difficult.

“The international break does concern me,” Mourinho said. “It’s a lot of time.”

The extended break will replace the usual September and October international windows, with countries scheduled to play four matches across late September and early October instead of two. Mourinho said he was particularly concerned about players who travel with their national teams but do not receive regular playing time.

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“Players who join their national teams to play don’t worry me as much,” he said. “It’s the ones who are not really involved that concern me.”

Mourinho added that Real Madrid would have to work with the players who remain at the club during the international window.

“Not having players at my disposal for three weeks is a difficult situation,” he said.

The Portuguese manager also warned that players can be vulnerable to injuries during or shortly after international breaks.

“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 said.

“So it does worry me, but this is the way these things are and we can’t do much about it.”

The changes to the international calendar come after the 2026 World Cup final was played on 19 July, the latest date for a summer World Cup since 1966. Player welfare and travel considerations were also taken into account.

Ahead of Sunday’s La Liga match against Malaga, Mourinho also praised Jude Bellingham and highlighted the midfielder’s importance to Real Madrid in both attack and defence.

“He is a unique kind of player, extremely important for the team,” Mourinho said.

He praised Bellingham’s mental strength, tactical ability, pressing and work to recover possession, saying the England international contributes far beyond his attacking statistics.

Mourinho then turned to the Ballon d’Or debate, arguing that the award should not automatically go to a player simply because they have won the Champions League or World Cup.

For Mourinho, the prize should recognise players whose influence leaves a lasting mark on football.

“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.

“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 said.

Real Madrid host Malaga on Sunday at 16:00 BST.