Petit: Real Madrid Need Mourinho's Bigger Ego and Kvaratskhelia Deserves Ballon d'Or Recognition

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit has named his Champions League favourites and made a passionate case for a surprise Ballon d'Or winner.

The former Arsenal and Chelsea star has explained why he is excited to see Jose Mourinho back at Real Madrid despite his own Barcelona ties, and why Khvicha Kvaratskhelia deserves the Ballon d'Or ahead of Harry Kane .

Petit has also given his verdict on the future of Paul Pogba , the pressure on Derek McInnes at Rangers , and the international outlook for England , Ireland and Scotland .

Champions League

Who Is Your Favourite to Win the Champions League?

Are Paris Saint-Germain going to do the same as Real Madrid did with Zinedine Zidane ? They are still the team to beat even if they are having a really poor start to the season in Ligue 1, but that was the case last season. It's probably even worse this year, but they've had sloppy starts before and all of a sudden, after a couple of weeks, a couple of months, they can be back like a machine.

They have improved the quality of their squad, but can they maintain their run to make it three times in a row? They have to be among the favourites, but I think other teams have improved as well this year. Arsenal , Real Madrid , Barcelona and Bayern Munich can all win the Champions League this season, so I don't think Paris Saint-Germain will win three in a row. It would be amazing for them to do it, but I think it may be one step too far. We will have to see. It will take time for the new signings to adapt themselves to what Luis Enrique wants and how he wants his team to play, and the DNA of his team is really difficult, even sometimes for talented players, to understand and get into the team. So we are seeing change at Paris Saint-Germain, but I'm not sure that they're going to be able to win it this year.

Jose Mourinho

Can Mourinho Take Real Madrid Back to the Top?

We all know how good Lamine Yamal is. We all know how good Barcelona are with the ball. I'm still not convinced about their defence at the highest level. That's been the problem for the last two seasons. We cannot question their attacking threat, but we must question the balance of the team when they don't have the ball. Barcelona are a really good team when they have the ball and a really poor team when they don't have the ball.

Can Jose Mourinho make the most of that? He has to because Barcelona have won La Liga two years in a row and gone late in the Champions League . The biggest disappointment in Spain has been Real Madrid . I expect a lot from Mourinho and his players this season.

Did Mourinho Disappoint in His First Madrid Spell?

Jose Mourinho is not the kind of manager that comes into a club with a vision. He is the kind of manager that gets into the minds of players and refuses to let any single player stand above him. He has got the balls, the character and the personality, and Real Madrid need that. Does he have a vision for how they should play? I'm not sure. He is not a technician, but he is a very powerful leader, and this is exactly what Madrid need.

They've got so many individuals, so many talented players, but so many egos. You need someone with a bigger ego than all of them. That's why Real Madrid needed to bring Jose Mourinho back.

Can Mourinho Sustain Success Rather Than Burn Out?

History tells us that Jose Mourinho struggles with this, but I am happy that he is back at one of the biggest clubs in the world, probably the most famous club in the world, and if he can keep his best players fit, then it doesn't matter about the long-term. I think Real Madrid will be there, back on top.

The Ballon d'Or

Can Harry Kane Win the Ballon d'Or?

Who will win the Ballon d'Or ? It's really open this year. Obviously, I would love to see a French player win it like Kylian Mbappe , but could it be him, or will it be Harry Kane ? People might say Lamine Yamal or Lionel Messi, but if you ask me for one name, it is a player who didn't play at the World Cup , but he has been amazing for two seasons. He has won the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain . It is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia . He is just a joy to watch. He is the very definition of what football should be.

The fact that he is Georgian and has no chance to play at the World Cup proves to me that we should probably change our vision for who can win the Ballon d'Or, because look at the history of tremendous players who never had a chance to play at a World Cup . George Best was the same. Why should Kvaratskhelia have no chance at winning the Ballon d'Or ? At the end of the day, I think we should acknowledge that and change the way we vote for the best players, especially this season when it's really wide open.

Pogba and the Internationals

Could Paul Pogba Join Wrexham?

What's next for Paul Pogba ? I don't know. I just want him to be happy in his life because he is such a nice guy and he was such a tremendous player, but I think he's gone. He's been gone for years now. That's why I just want him to be happy in life, not just when it comes to football matters, because I don't see him playing football properly again, to cope with that intensity for 90 minutes. Monaco tried to give him the opportunity, and they were very patient, but every time he got close to returning, he was injured again.

Could we see Paul Pogba at Celtic or Wrexham ? No, I don't think he would want to do that. If he has any chance of playing again, I think it would be to end his career in Major League Soccer or Qatar or Saudi Arabia , but those offers aren't coming. I'm pretty sure many clubs have had an interest in him, but they all came to the same conclusion. He's not there anymore, not as a footballer.

Should Rangers Part Ways With Derek McInnes?

Rangers have changed managers so many times recently, but stability is something that is really important. Honestly, when you look at the teams who win league titles every season, they all have stability. Most of the time, it's no surprise who is at the top, and something is missing from Rangers now.

Celtic have had a perfect start to the season, so I think the way it is going, the Scottish title will be theirs again. Maybe Hearts will finish second too. Rangers ? I don't see them as part of the picture. Too many injured players. They've already fallen off. It's a pity for Derek McInnes .

What's Your Prediction For England vs Spain?

Spain have won the World Cup , the Euros , the Nations League , everything. They are the team to beat, but I think that could be something that's good for England , to win against the best in the world. They have to get over the World Cup and what happened, mentally. Thomas Tuchel made some choices that were difficult to understand. He looks so nervous on the touchline sometimes, and I don't always see the link between his substitutions and the game sometimes.

I think Thomas Tuchel needs to improve as an England manager, and facing Spain could be the perfect spot to show that because England do have problems he needs to solve. How many times have England led a game against a top team in a big competition only to still lose? They can't keep a lead. They don't control games. They need to improve, and the decisions from the manager need to improve. A victory against Spain , that would send some strong signals that Tuchel and his players are learning what it takes to become a top team.

Can Troy Parrott Guide Ireland to Promotion?

Troy Parrott only needed 10 minutes to score when he came on against Real Madrid . He's already a hero to Real Betis , and he was already a hero to Ireland with what he did to try and get them to the World Cup . I wish him and Ireland all the best because, seeing what he did at AZ Alkmaar and now going to Spain , it's a huge step, and in terms of his confidence it could not have been a better start, coming off the bench against Real Madrid .

He'll be feeling something special to be that player for Ireland again now too, and this is a guy living the dream. He may as well be flying through the sky. I think he can improve and follow his desires to chase even bigger dreams too, for Ireland and in his club career. He's a player who can reach those dreams; he just needs to hold on to his desire.

Is Pocognoli the Right Man For Scotland?

Scotland really disappointed me at the World Cup . I was really pleased by their fans, the Tartan Army , but they have some really good players even if they don't have a full squad of quality players. That's the problem for Sebastian Pocognoli to deal with, and he needs to improve them as a team. Scotland have improved a lot over the past decade, but they need to keep going on to improve more. They need to be a team that's worthy of those fans.

The other problem for Pocognoli is something he can't fix himself. Scotland need more young players from their academies, but it's good that the Scottish Premiership is becoming more and more competitive because when it's only Celtic vs Rangers, it is a limit. We've seen Hearts and other clubs in Scotland trying to compete with the two big teams, and that will bring through more Scottish players, and it's something they have to improve on too and go even further than what they are doing now. At the moment, they don't have a full squad of quality players, but it'll be on Pocognoli to make sure they still compete at the highest level.

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