Friday, 03 August 2012 13:24

LOS ANGELES: Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho believes his side and Barcelona are the two best clubs in the world, and that any team in football would struggle to finish ahead of the Spanish giants

At 49, Mourinho (pic) is already one of the most successful managers in football history, having won several club trophies during his stints in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain.

The Portuguese said in December that he plans to return to the Premier League in due course, but he has now declared that Primera Liga boasts the biggest pool of talent in the game.

"What I used to say is that every club in the world goes to the Spanish league would finish third," Mourinho told ESPN.

"Manchester City go there, Manchester United go there, Chelsea go there. Who else? They finish third because the two best teams in the world are in the same league, so of course to the others, it is a big difference."

The rivalry between the two Primera Liga giants is shared by the two club's brightest starts, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with one of them expected to claim the 2012 Ballon d'Or award.

And Mourinho is in no doubt that Ronaldo should be the one to scoop the prestigious award after helping Real to win their first league crown since 2008.

"For me, the best player of a season must be one that won," he said. "What Ronaldo did help the team to win something big, and I do not think in the history of the Ballon D'Or, one players own it without winning a big thing.

"Without winning the Champions League, without winning the Spanish League, how can Messi be the Ballon d'Or?"

Messi, for the record, has won the award three times in-a-row..

Despite Real's interest in Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric, Los Blancos are yet to sign any player in the transfer window, but Mourinho trusts his squad completely.

"The team are really full of talent, and we have lots of solutions and we can play in different ways, in different systems, in different philosophies," he said.

"So what I have in my hands in terms of human capital, human resources is very, very hard."

Real will play MLS side LA Galaxy tomorrow morning as part of their pre-season tour of the United States.