Gerard Pique: Jose Mourinho got "out of hand" at Real Madrid

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has claimed that Jose Mourinho's time at Real Madrid adversely affected football in Spain.

Mourinho joined Chelsea last week after leaving Los Blancos after three years in charge, and Pique has criticised the Portuguese for some of his actions during his stay in the Spanish capital.

"It got to the point where I think we were quite superior to Real Madrid and we were winning lots of trophies," Pique told reporters.

"[Mourinho] tried to take the game off the field of play and I think he acted like that because he felt inferior to Barcelona, but at the end of the day the pitch is where things happen. Everything else just creates a bad vibe and generates things which aren't good for the national team or for this sport.

"Things got to the point where they crossed the line, and that made for a tense atmosphere. That's where everyone's maturity came in to play in order to say, 'That's enough.' It wasn't Mourinho who did it. It was some of the players who realised that it was getting out of hand."

Barca won the La Liga title last season, eventually finishing 15 points above Madrid with 100 points.