Zinedine Zidane declared that leading Real Madrid to their first La Liga title in five years, and 33rd overall, was one of the happiest days of his glittering sporting career.

Real beat Malaga 2-0 on the final day of the season on Sunday to finish three points clear of Barcelona and reclaim the title for the first time since 2012.

“For me the Spanish league is the best in the world so it’s an incredible feeling to win it,” Zidane told reporters.

“It was very important to win the league after many years without it and we know that the league is the competition of every day and it’s a huge thing to win it.

“It’s even more important for Real Madrid because it’s the biggest club in the world and we had to win it again.”

The coach also hailed his squad for embracing his rotation policy which he said had been vital to winning the title and praised the players who had accepted being left out of the starting line-up on occasion.

“It’s a spectacular day, everyone deserves credit but above all the players have fought, the message has always been that every player is important and that’s been the key to this success,” he said.

“It’s been a very hard-fought win, difficult at some moments but after 38 games there’s no better feeling than being at the top.”

Zidane has won four trophies in 16 months since taking charge of the Spanish giants and he is one step from becoming the first Real coach since 1958 to win the European Cup and league title in the same season.

Real meet Juventus in the Champions League final on June 3 and will be bidding to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Milan in 1990.

“I can finally celebrate after months and months of work. There are no words to define how I feel now,” added Zidane, whose list of achievements include winning the league title as a Real player in 2003, scoring the winning goal in the 2002 Champions League final and capturing the 1998 World Cup with France.

“When you’re the Real Madrid coach you know that expectations are very high but I like that. Winning the league is the best thing

Cristiano Ronaldo hit out at his critics after helping Real Madrid to the league triumph.

Ronaldo’s opener at La Rosaleda took his season tally to 40 in all competitions, with next month’s Champions League final against Juventus still to come, but the 32-year-old has once again had to deal with his detractors.

Ronaldo response

The former Manchester United forward was keen to issue a response after Sunday’s game though, saying in Marca: “I don’t watch television because if I did I wouldn’t have a life, so many talk badly of me, in football and away from football.

“They talk about me as if I was a criminal. When people talk about Cristiano they are wrong, both inside and outside of football.

“I’m not a saint but neither am I the devil that many people say I am.”

Ronaldo has arguably done more than anybody to ensure a memorable end to the season for Zidane’s Madrid, scoring 14 goals in the last nine games to help his side finish top of LaLiga and reach the Champions League final.

He said “I’m very happy, it has been a spectacular end to the season, the best in recent years, because of intelligent management, the help of the coach, and the contributions of those who played less,

“I’ve prepared for the final part of the season because I knew that it was going to be important.”