Claudio Ranieri has discussed his shock return to management for the first time.
The Leicester City legend has reversed his decision to retire to return to Roma as head coach. The 73-year-old had retired at the end of last season after successfully guiding Cagliari to Serie A and then avoiding relegation in his final managerial act.
But he has taken charge of Roma for a third time until the end of the season. The one-time Roma player will then move into a senior executive role where he will act as an advisor to the ownership group.
Speaking at his unveiling, Ranieri, who famously led the Foxes to the Premier League title in 2016, said: “Before answering any questions, I’d like to clarify a few things. I had given up coaching. But I have to say that I received more job offers in the last few months than I did after winning the Premier League with Leicester. It’s incredible but true. And I always said no.
“I said there were only two circumstances in which I might coach again: either at Roma or at Cagliari. But I fully believed that I’d be watching football from the other side.
“Destiny decided that I should ‘come home’. When I rejoined Cagliari, I said that I’d started my career at Cagliari and I would end it at Cagliari. However, clearly destiny had decided that Roma is where I began my playing career and where I should finish my coaching career and end up as a director. I just wanted to make that clear, for the record, because Cagliari welcomed me in as one of their own.”
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