Jose Mourinho said he was motivated by the challenges ahead at Real Madrid after agreeing a two-year contract extension on Tuesday which tied him to the Spanish champions until 2016.
«I’ve loved the professional experience I’ve had of working for different clubs in different countries and cultures,» the Portuguese said in an interview published on the club’s website.
«It’s different for me now because I’m thinking about a club long-term. (Real) has been more demanding and has forced me to do my absolute best due to the difficulties I have had to face.
«I’ve had to improve as a coach and a professional. I think it is the perfect challenge for the next four years. I need these great challenges at this time in my career.»
Mourinho, the self-styled ‘Special One,’ joined Real from Inter Milan in 2010 on a four-year deal and led them to victory in the King’s Cup final in his first season, the club’s first cup triumph in 18 years.
They won their first La Liga title for four years this month, smashing league records along the way and ending Barcelona’s domestic dominance.
Real set a new points record of 100 from 38 games, beating the previous best of 99 achieved by Pep Guardiola’s side in 2009, and broke the league’s goal-scoring record of 107 set by the Whites in 1989-90 by finding the net 121 times.
On a personal level, the league title was Mourinho’s seventh after winning two in Portugal with Porto, two in England with Chelsea and two in Italy with Inter.
Mourinho’s next big challenge is to win a 10th European Cup for Real, and his third with a different club after Champions League successes with Porto in 2004 and Inter in 2010.
Real have fallen in the semi-finals to Barcelona and Bayern Munich in his two years in charge. The last time they reached the final four before then was 2003.
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