'It is the best memory, it was fantastic': Mourinho puts managing Real Madrid as the finest moment of his 19-year career above winning the Champions League or taking charge of Man Utd
* Jose Mourinho insists managing Real Madrid was the best moment of his career
* The Portuguese has managed a wealth of top clubs but singled out one team
* Battling to dethrone Barcelona was a pursuit that brought Mourinho lots of joy
Jose Mourinho has won trophies at Chelsea and guided Manchester United to success in Europe, but the Portuguese picked out managing Real Madrid as the best moment of his career to date.
The 56-year-old managing the Spanish giants between 2010 and 2013 and secured a famous La Liga title win over Barcelona in 2012.
While he was eventually ousted after three failures to win the Champions League, Mourinho remains positive on reflection in what is his 'best memory' in football.
'Real Madrid was my best experience because of what I learned as a coach, as a man, for the lessons that I took in my career and in my life. It is the best memory of my career, it was fantastic,' Mourinho told Portuguese TV, as reported by Marca.
'What they asked me at Real Madrid was within my nature. They told me that we had the best team in the world on the other side (Barcelona), that they were crushing us and we had to reverse the situation.
'We had to prevent Barca from crushing us and that's why the Mestalla Cup final is the most important.
Mourinho said that managing Real Madrid was the best moment of his career from 2010-13. Cristiano Ronaldo was singled out for praise by Mourinho as he hailed the 'phenomenon'
'From there nothing was the same. We won La LIga, the Super Cup, but nothing was like the cup final and I unfortunately failed to win the three Champions League semi-finals.'
Mourinho, out of work since being sacked by Manchester United in December 2018, won 125 of his 175 matches in charge of Real Madrid and could be open to returning should the position become vacant after Zinedine Zidane.
He got to work at close quarters with a prime Cristiano Ronaldo and while his compatriot is no longer at Real, Mourinho hailed the attacker as a 'phenomenon' that he has had the pleasure of managing.
Ronaldo hit four goals for Portugal this week against Lithuania and he continues to chase the biggest honours - both team and individual - at the age of 34.
Now at Juventus, Ronaldo is tasked with delivering the Italian champions the Champions League title they crave so badly.
'He is a phenomenon, someone who only thinks about winning and doing it more and more and better,' Mourinho added, speaking to Canal+.
'That is why I am not surprised at all what he does.
"When he is 50 years old he will be at home and FIFA will invite him to a game of legends. He will play the game and score a goal. I am sure it will be like that."
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