Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano admits he fell out with coach Gigi del Neri earlier this season.

Since being frozen out, Cassano has fought back to be again producing his best form.

He said: "By scoring in my way, following my instinct, I scored more than 100 goals in my career. There must be a reason. I don't think that I was that bad.

"But every Coach has his own mentality. The Sampdoria boss made a decision and locked me out. I grudgingly accepted it, but he is a Coach and I am a player. Everyone saw what I can do on the pitch.

"Jose Mourinho is currently the number one manager in the world, absolutely, for what he has done and is still doing. He has character, wisdom, intelligence and on a tactical level he's phenomenal."