Claudio Ranieri ended his four-decade career as a coach. His last match was a defeat: 3-2 lost by Cagliari, already saved from relegation, against Fiorentina, with a last-minute penalty goal converted by Brazilian Arthur Melo.
Recognized for his strong temperament, the coach, who against all odds crowned champion Leicester in the Premier League in the 2015-2016 season, was seen emotional in his farewell. Before the match, the fans displayed a huge banner that read: “Eternal gratitude to a great man.”
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Over the years on the bench, he has coached great football players from different generations and nationalities such as the English Frank Lampard, the Argentine Gabriel Batistuta, the Frenchman Laurent Blanc, the Portuguese Rui Costa and the Spaniard Gaizka Mendieta, just to name a few.
Also, several Brazilians were under his orders. The one who played the most matches with Ranieri as a coach was goalkeeper Júlio Sérgio (two seasons at AS Roma), followed by central defender Juan (also two campaigns with the Roman team).
In the early 1990s, the Italian was a coach at Napoli with the great striker Careca (Alemão was also on the squad), while at AS Roma he also had former midfielder Rodrigo Taddei. Defender Márcio Santos, striker Luis Oliveira, defender Lúcio and forward Júlio Baptista are other Brazilians who passed through his teams.
Hero of Cagliari
Ranieri, currently 72 years old, had already stood out as a coach in the late 1980s by leading Cagliari to the top division after two successive promotions. “What we have achieved, we have done together,” the coach declared as he bid farewell to the tifosi and the playing fields.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Watch the full series, available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel.
