JOIN USJose Mou-rinho believes winning La Liga was the toughest of the seven league titles he has sealed in coaching stints in his native Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, the Real Madrid manager said on Wednesday.
Real wrapped up the title with a 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao that maintained their seven-point lead over Barcelona with two games left and ended their bitter rivals' three-year stranglehold on the Spanish league championship.
Mourinho became the first coach to win a domestic league in four different major countries following his two titles in Portugal with Porto, two in England with Chelsea, two in Italy with Inter Milan and now one in Spain with Real. "It was the most difficult," the 49-year-old said.
"Up until the final moment nobody gifted us anything," he added. "Bilbao put out their best team, the stadium was full and the team wanted to win and fight, which is the way it should be."
"I think that they (Barcelona) themselves, champions and a club with a great tradition, know that we deserve this league title."