Jose Mourinho has described his old rival Arsene Wenger as a "sweet enemy" and insisted he regarded a man he once mocked as "one of the best football managers in the history of football".

Mourinho and Wenger frequently clashed in the Premier League, with Mourinho branding the long-time Arsenal manager a "specialist in failure" in 2014 when the Portuguese was in charge of Chelsea.

But Mourinho, sacked by Manchester United in December, has congratulated Wenger on receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards this week, and offered extensive praise for the Frenchman.

"I really enjoyed the competition but there were some episodes along the road that I don't like to say I regret it or should Mr Wenger regret it too because this is really part of our history and we cannot go back and delete them and they were part of our history and our club's history," he told Laureus Sport.

"But what I can say is that the real respect is always there."

Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Show all 11 1 /11 Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Arsène Wenger, February 2005 After being probed about the number of foreign players in his Arsenal side, Wenger flipped the question onto Chelsea's lack of homegrown talent. Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Jose Mourinho, October 2005 Mourinho did not initially bite back, but after Wenger criticised his team further, he infamously labelled the Frenchman a 'voyeur'. Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Arsène Wenger, November 2005 Wenger did not react well and accused Mourinho of being "disconnected with reality and disrespectful". Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Jose Mourinho, April 2008 Their rivalry calmed after Mourinho's exit from Chelsea in 2007, but the Portuguese could not help but prod Wenger again during his time at Internazionale. Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Arsène Wenger, April 2013 After Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso appeared to purposely earn yellow cards in a Champions League tie for Mourinho's Real Madrid side, Wenger admonised their actions in the press. Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Jose Mourinho, April 2013 Wenger's comments provoked a spiky reaction from Mourinho, who attacked his rival's reputation as a manager who develops young talent. Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Arsène Wenger, January 2014 Mourinho, back at Chelsea, sold Juan Mata to Manchester United shortly after the two sides had played their final league fixture against each other for the season. Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Jose Mourinho, January 2014 Wenger's reaction did not surprise Mourinho, who cried foul himself with a complaint about Arsenal's fixture list. Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Jose Mourinho, February 2014 After Wenger suggested his rival may suffer from a 'fear of failure', Mourinho infamously retorted by calling Wenger a 'specialist in failure'. Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Arsène Wenger, October 2014 The pair finally came to physical blows on the touchline during Chelsea's 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in October 2014. Mourinho and Wenger's rivalry: in quotes Jose Mourinho, October 2015 A year later, with his title-winning side falling apart at the seams, Mourinho claimed that Wenger was the only manager in the league who could criticise referees and get away with it.

Asked to describe Wenger, Mourinho said: "A very intelligent person and one of the best football managers in the history of football."

Mourinho said his rivalry with Wenger began as soon as he arrived in England as Chelsea manager in 2004 as a natural consequence of their positions.

"I arrived in England and I found 'the Invincibles' and I found Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson very much hurt by that invincible Arsenal season," he said.

"We were like a third force coming. Chelsea with a great desire to be champions for the first time in so many years. So of course it was the confrontation of forces and you can imagine that Sir Alex, Mr Wenger and myself we were fighting for the same.

"We were like, I like to say in football, 'sweet enemies'. In that moment it is hard. In that moment it is a real fight. But then in the end I think, at least I do that, I always thank my 'sweet rivals' to make me, to making me better."

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Wenger brought 10 major trophies to Arsenal between 1996 and 2018, three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups.

But the unbeaten 'Invincible' season of 2003/04 was his last league title and significant numbers of Arsenal supporters had turned against him long before his departure, with many suggesting he outstayed his welcome and damaged his legacy.

Wenger was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award (Getty)

Mourinho insisted his achievements should instead live long in the memory.

"My feeling is, where are the next 'Invincibles'?" he said when asked about Wenger's legacy.

"Where are they? Who did it again? Who made people forget that he was the manager of the invincible team? Lots of philosophy, lots of talk, lots of PR. Football today is a lot about this, but results, and who did better than him? Where is the next 'Invincibles'?"