PARIS -- Monaco defender Ricardo Carvalho expressed his delight after Jose Mourinho praised his performance in the recent Ligue 1 clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
Mourinho told Telefoot in a recent interview that Carvalho, 36, had played like he was 26 during the 1-1 draw with the defending French champions earlier this month.
The centre-back, who played for Mourinho at Porto, Chelsea and Real Madrid, was full of praise for the Blues boss after Portugal's 2-1 defeat to France on Saturday.
"Jose said that? I have a great relationship with Mourinho," he said. "He coached me for eight years and he is special for me. He is the best man. He is the kind of coach who always tells the truth and for me that is important, so I am grateful that I was playing for him for such a long time. It is good to hear that he saw that and still feels that way about me even now."
Carvalho was making his return for Portugal at the Stade de France, having retired from international duty in 2011.
"I spoke with the coach [Fernando Santos] and I told him that I felt I could help, so I said yes that he can call me because I am ready to help," he said.
There had been a story -- firmly denied by the Portuguese Football Federation -- that Cristiano Ronaldo had told Carvalho to apologise for quitting before he could be brought back into the squad.
There certainly did not appear to be any animosity between the pair, with Carvalho saying of his former Madrid teammate: "Ronaldo is our flag. He is the best."