The lovable Italian coach is overseeing another remarkable turnaround at Stadio Olimpico, against all the odds
Despite Roma's remarkable run of form, Claudio Ranieri is not having any second thoughts over his decision to step down as coach at the end of the season and move into a directorial position at the club he first represented as a player more than 50 years ago.
He's even playing a key part in the search for his successor and, after the Giallorossi had recorded a seventh successive Serie A victory on Saturday by winning 1-0 at Lecce, Ranieri was asked on he was looking for a similar kind of coach to himself.
Without missing a beat, the Roman replied: "Another Ranieri does not exist!" He was joking, of course, but it's impossible to dispute the veracity of the statement.
Ranieri is unique, a universally beloved figure in football responsible for the kind of miracles that more feted tacticians such as Pep Guardiola have never even come close to pulling off.
He insists there is no secret formula to his success. "Nobody has a magic wand," Ranieri says. And yet, at 73 years of age, he is writing what could be the perfect closing chapter to a true footballing fairy tale…
'I have decided to leave now'
The story was, of course, meant to end in Sardinia last summer – and in pleasingly circular circumstances.
Some 33 years after incredibly saving Cagliari from relegation to Serie B, he repeated the feat with a 2-0 win at Sassuolo on May 19. What had made the escape all the greater was the fact that Ranieri had offered to resign in February 2024, with the Islanders 19th in the Serie A standings after 14 losses in 24 games.
Cagliari's players, though, convinced him to continue, so unwavering was their belief in their veteran boss, and when the full-time whistle blew at the Mapei Stadium, an overwhelmed Ranieri burst into tears.
He still had a year left on his contract with the Rossoblu but it felt, looked and sounded as if the man who had led Leicester City to the most astounding league triumph in the history of football had nothing left to give to a game that has been blessed by his presence.
"I have decided to leave now and it is the right thing to do," Ranieri said in a video posted by Cagliari. "I do it reluctantly because it was a hard and painful decision, but I think it is right."
Ranieri's retirement didn't last long, though.
AdvertisementGetty Images'Roma seem to have a cold soul'
Just four games into the 2024-25 season, Roma sacked club legend Daniele De Rossi, who had done a fantastic job restoring order at the Stadio Olimpico following Jose Mourinho's tumultuous tenure.
It was a dreadful decision by the club's owners, The Friedkin Group, but then the Americans made an even worse one, by appointing Ivan Juric as De Rossi's successor. The Croatian lasted fewer than two months at the helm, fired after four defeats in five league games.
The retired Ranieri was publicly critical of the way in which his hometown club was being run. "Roma seem to have a cold soul without personality," he told .
"I didn’t understand what they did with De Rossi. When you confirm him with a three-year contract, you tell the world you are building a new team. At that point, you must give time to the coach, you can’t sack him after four rounds.
"Roma lack a leading figure. You can't blame the Friedkins because they've invested a lot of money, but they are proving that money is not everything.
"They lack a reference point inside the club."
'Roma is my life'
Perhaps Ranieri's lament struck a chord with the Friedkins, because when they got rid of Juric just a few weeks later, they asked the Premier League winner if he would be willing to return to Roma.
Ranieri had already rejected offers from several other clubs to resume his coaching career or accept advisory roles – including one from former club Chelsea – but he felt he could not say no to the team he had supported since he was a boy.
"Roma is my life," he explained in an interview with the. "And now that I have more experience, I'm vaccinated against every situation! But it's also the realisation of a childhood dream, for somebody who used to stand on the Curva Sud."
Getty Images Sport'Roma went from The Special One to The Normal One'
Of course, they say you should never go back in football and Roma were in a far worse state than Ranieri had found them at the start of his two previous tenures.
The Giallorossi were 12th in the Serie A table with just 13 points from their first 12 games, making it the club's worst start to a season since 1979, and ultras were in open revolt against the owners.
Ranieri's impact was not exactly instantaneous, at least not in terms of results, with Roma losing three of his first four games in charge. However, his positive outlook made for a stark contrast to all of the negativity surrounding the club.
As Ranieri's agent Pietro Chiodi pointed out in the , in less than a year, Roma had gone from "'The Special One' to 'The Normal One'", meaning the focus shifted from blaming others for defeats to concentrating solely on what they could improve to start winning more games.
"The commitment was there," he told after the 2-0 loss at Como on December 15. "We gave our all but it wasn't enough. "There was some uncertainty [in our game] but we have to go forward with the desire to take Roma higher and higher up the table."
And, in fairness to Ranieri's players, that's exactly what they've done.