Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has made light of his exclusion from the La Liga coach of the year nominations, despite having claimed the title with his side.

The prize was eventually claimed by Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, who led his side to a third-placed finish in La Liga. Despite the snub, however, Enrique remained jovial when questioned on the outcome of the ceremony.

‘That’s a very good question. I believe I’m amongst the 20 best coaches,’ Luis Enrique joked, reports Goal. ‘Because there are only 20 coaches in the Primera Division.’

The Blaugrana manager then insisted he does not take much stock from the gala, insisting he is focusing only on the side’s next fixture.

‘I didn’t have an invitation but, still, you already know I don’t normally attend these kinds of events,’ he explained. ‘As for the players [that were absent too] you better ask them,’ he concluded.

Barcelona claimed the title by a single point last season as they won their last five matches in succession to finish just above their arch-rivals Real Madrid. The side had looked to be coasting to the title as they put together a tremendous unbeaten run, but almost blew their lead entirely when they suffered three shocking defeat in succession.