Jose Mourinho sent a brilliant tribute to Claudio Ranieri on Instagram after the Italian was fired at Leicester City.“Champion of England and FIFA Manager of the Year. Sacked,” Mourinho wrote.“That’s the new football Claudio. Keep smiling Amico. Nobody can delete the history you wrote.”It was class. We’re yet to see any Leicester players come out to acknowledge Ranieri’s unbelievable achievement last season, but Mourinho was willing to do so.And the Manchester United boss continued to show his support for Ranieri by wearing ‘CR’ on his shirt in his afternoon press conference.

"Somebody that probably deserves the Leicester stadium to be renamed Claudio Ranieri and he's sacked," Mourinho told reporters, via the Mirror.

"Leicester made history two years in a row, one year because they did the most beautiful thing in the Premier League and in football history.

"Now they are also in the highlights with the decision which has everyone in football united because it's difficult to accept but it’s good for all of us to realise how football is.

"We need to adapt to it. When I was sacked as a champion I thought it was a giant negative thing, now I realise it was peanuts compared what happened to Claudio.”

Mourinho's opinion of Ranieri in 2008

It’s clear that Mourinho respects Ranieri, the man who made way for his arrival at Chelsea in 2004.

Yet the Mourinho of 2008 had a very different opinion of the 65-year-old.

Nine years ago, the Portuguese, then the manager of Inter Milan, said Ranieri couldn’t speak English properly despite spending five years in the country, and also questioned his mentality.

“Ranieri? I guess he’s right with what he said I am very demanding of myself and I have to win to be sure of things,” Mourinho said, via the Telegraph. “This is why I have won so many trophies in my career.

“Ranieri on the other hand has the mentality of someone who doesn’t need to win.

"He is almost 70 years old. He has won a Super Cup and another small trophy and he is too old to change his mentality. He’s old and he hasn’t won anything.

“I studied Italian five hours a day for many months to ensure I could communicate with the players, media and fans. Ranieri had been in England for five years and still struggled to say ‘good morning’ and ‘good afternoon.'"

Ranieri’s success last season was enough for Mourinho to change his tune. To Ranieri’s credit, there wasn’t a single person who doubted him after he defied odds of 5,000/1.

Is Mourinho being genuine by praising Ranieri's accomplishments? Let us know in the comments section below!