"I am a Klinsmann fan," Mourinho was quoted as telling Tuesday's issue of mass-selling German daily Bild.

"I admire him for his courage. He's got a strong personality. He believes in young talent and promotes players like (Robert) Huth, (Bastian) Schweinsteiger, (Lukas) Podolski and (Philipp) Lahm. And he doesn't change his ideas just because he loses a game. That's great."

The Portuguese coach said he regularly spoke to Klinsmann over the phone, notably to talk about Chelsea's German international defender Huth.

Klinsmann, under scrutiny since a 4-1 friendly defeat by Italy on March 1, has also faced criticism for his decision to remain based in the U.S. instead of moving back to Germany.

In the interview, Mourinho also talked about his own future, saying: "I will definitely coach Portugal one day."

The 43-year-old did not rule out a job in the Bundesliga.

"I could imagine coaching Bayern Munich but they should give me a year's notice so I can learn German," he said.

In the first part of the interview published on Monday, the Chelsea manager, who was in Germany at the weekend, had said he would love Germany captain Michael Ballack to join the English champions.

Ballack's contract with Bayern Munich expires at the end of the season. The 29-year-old midfielder's agent has said he was very interested in a move to Chelsea.

Also, Jose Mourinho insists he does not feel like the best coach in the world despite being hailed the number one for the second consecutive year.

Mourinho, who famously introduced himself to English football as the "special one", was selected by the IFFHA (International Federation of Football History and Statistics) as the world's best coach.

But it is a title the Portuguese coach finds difficult to carry.

"In 2005 I won a championship, an English cup and reached the final stages of the Champions League, obviously I am happy with all this, but I am ambitious and I want to win more."

"For this reason I don't feel like the best coach in the world," Mourinho told Portuguese sports daily Record.

As Chelsea close in on a second straight Premiership title, Mourinho said that he had accepted their Champions League defeat by Barcelona, but being Portuguese hoped that Benfica would advance past the Spaniards.

"I accepted the elimination much easier than people can imagine," he said.

"I'm not stupid. I know football and its different competitions. We were eliminated by an excellent team. In this type of match between great clubs the details make the difference.

"Barcelona is part of my past and I had many good moments there and I have played two ties with them and won one," he said.

"I' m not against Barcelona. Our defeat to them is already part of the past.

"I said I supported Benfica because I am Portuguese. I would like Benfica to be champions of Europe because they are the only Portuguese team left in the competition."