Jose Mourinho: Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino 'Both Deserve to Win a Trophy'

Jose Mourinho said he won't know who to root for in the UEFA Champions League final, because he feels Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Mauricio Pochettino both deserve to win.

The former Manchester United and Chelsea manager spoke as a pundit on beIN Sports after Spurs booked their place in the final on Wednesday, a day after Liverpool had done the same:

Mourinho said:

"A very good quality for a manager is to read the battle, to read your soldiers and their qualities, and to try to win that battle.

"Football is to have fun, football is to make people to be jumping in front of the screen for the last two days, but football is about winning.

"Football is about winning and to speak about winning, I will be in trouble in the final because I like Mauricio and Jurgen very, very much both and I think they both deserve to win a trophy.

"The first trophy for Jurgen with Liverpool, the first trophy for Mauricio with Spurs, and I think will be a fantastic final."

Spurs went through on away goals with a 3-3 aggregate scoreline against Ajax, having been 3-0 down in the two-legged tie with one half of football remaining. 

Liverpool won 4-0 at home to Barcelona on Tuesday, having been 3-0 down from the first leg.

ESPN FC's Liam Twomey shared Mourinho's view on the clubs' respective managers:

The Independent's Miguel Delaney and BBC Sport's John Bennett also noted the significance of the pair facing off in the final in light of the criticism they've received in some quarters over the years:

Klopp won two Bundesliga titles and the DFB-Pokal with Borussia Dortmund, but the latter was the only cup final he has won in seven attempts.

The German reached the 2016 League Cup and Europa League finals with Liverpool as well as the Champions League final last year, but the Reds lost all three.

Liverpool could win a trophy on Sunday if they lift the Premier League title, but they will need to defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers and hope Manchester City fail to beat Brighton & Hove Albion.

As for Pochettino, he is yet to win an honour as a manager. He took Spurs to the League Cup final in 2015, but his side were beaten by Mourinho's Chelsea.

While trophies may have been absent for both managers in recent years, their clubs' progress under them has been significant, as evidenced by their presence in the Champions League final.

Whichever coach comes away from the June 1 final empty-handed, they will still have shown themselves to be one of Europe's top managers.