The Premier League winner will end the ‘Oscar winning story’ as manager of Cagliari
Former Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri has “reluctantly” announced his resignation as Cagliari manager at the end of the season, which some reports have suggested will end the 72-year-old’s fifteen years in charge.
After ensuring Cagliari’s safety in Serie A with a 2-0 win at Sassuolo on Sunday, Italy’s Ranieri will take charge of the club for the final time in their campaign-closing match at home to Fiorentina on Thursday.
“You have been my refuge for years,” Ranieri said of the club he took charge of as a 37-year-old in 1988, guiding Cagliari from the third division to the top flight.
“I’m going reluctantly but it’s okay now. It was a difficult and painful decision. I hope I represented Sardinia very well. I am leaving after being promoted and saved. I prefer to walk like this; I don’t want to pollute these years.”
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After leaving Watford in 2022, Ranieri returned to Cagliari at the start of 2023 and took them back to Serie A through the play-offs last season.
“In his two games with the team, he always led the team to achieve its original goal,” said the team’s statement. “Already masterminding two consecutive promotions in the past and surviving in the top flight, in the last year and a half he has put together yet another masterpiece.
L’hai fatto ancora, Mr. 🥹👑 pic.twitter.com/L9NeSS1uy2
— Cagliari Calcio (@CagliariCalcio) May 19, 2024
“It is the closing of a full circle. Staying in Serie A, as it was 31 years ago, and in Emilia-Romagna, one game before the end of the season.
“It’s like we’ve been watching a movie – the one that won the Oscar, the one that wins for its perfect screenplay. One of those that makes you laugh but also moves you and makes you feel empathy.
“These are tears of joy and gratitude for a man who was able to write some of the best texts in the history of Cagliari. What he did will remain in the hearts of all fans.”
Claudio Ranieri’s record
Ranieri oversaw one of the greatest achievements in sporting history in 2016 when his team Leicester City won the Premier League in a major competition underdogs that the organizers thought was all but impossible.
The former defender spent the first 11 years of his coaching career in his homeland – including a spell with Fiorentina – before joining Atletico Madrid and spending four years at Chelsea from 2000.
His next clubs included Juventus, Roma, Inter Milan, Fulham and Sampdoria, as well as a brief spell as Greece manager.
