Claudio Ranieri
Encyclopedia
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian
football manager
, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale
.
He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari
, Napoli
, Fiorentina
, Valencia
, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea
, Parma
, Juventus
and Roma
.
, though in his two seasons with the club he only made six appearances; he also had a one-month loan spell with Siracusa
. As a player, Ranieri played most of his career as a defender for Catanzaro
(1974–1982), Catania
(1982–1984), and Palermo
(1984–1986). He was involved in four successful promotion campaigns (two with Catanzaro and one each with Catania and Palermo).
, his first managerial position was at Campania Puteolana, a small team in Pozzuoli
. He took charge there in 1987. However, it was at Cagliari
that he made his name, getting them promoted to Serie A
from the third division Serie C1
in successive seasons.
for two seasons. Despite finishing in fourth place in Serie A
, he won no silverware. He did, however, introduce Gianfranco Zola
to the first team to replace Diego Maradona
.
in 1993, gaining promotion from Serie B
in his first season. He subsequently had success in Serie A
, winning the Coppa Italia
and SuperCoppa Italiana
in 1996.
to take over at Valencia
. He was the coach from 1997 to 1999 and guided Valencia to UEFA Champions League
qualification and the Copa del Rey
in 1999. After his first spell, Ranieri left a popular man and has been credited for putting Valencia on the track to subsequent success in the Champions League and La Liga
.
He was responsible for the development of several youth players at the club, among them Gaizka Mendieta
, Miguel Ángel Angulo, and Javier Farinós. Ranieri also signed some players who would become highly successful at the Mestalla
, among them goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares
.
Ranieri's first spell at Valencia is widely regarded as a precursor of what would later happen at Chelsea, since both clubs achieved success which was in part attributable to the input of Ranieri.
, who was well known for sacking managers. Atlético would indeed go on to be relegated.
from 18 September 2000 to 31 May 2004, Ranieri worked hard to overcome the language barrier. When he arrived at the London
club, he could speak only limited English
; fortunately, the club had a few players who could speak Italian
and Spanish
and could help translate for him on the training pitch. Ranieri's first season consisted of inconsistent results, with Chelsea reaching sixth place and a UEFA Cup
spot.
Ranieri had been instructed to reduce the average age of the squad, and worked to rebuild Chelsea in the summer of 2001, essentially creating a brand new midfield by signing Frank Lampard
from West Ham United
, Emmanuel Petit
and Boudewijn Zenden from Barcelona
, and Jesper Grønkjær
from Ajax
. He also signed defender William Gallas
from Olympique Marseille, spending in total over £30 million. He was criticised, however, for both selling fan favourite Dennis Wise
and the fact that Chelsea's league performance did not improve much on the previous season. They finished 6th once again but did reach the FA Cup Final
, losing 2–0 to Arsenal
.
During the 2002–03
season and throughout his Chelsea days Ranieri was accused of over-rotating his squad, picking up the nickname of "the Tinkerman" from the British media. Chelsea finished the season on a high, qualifying for the Champions League after beating Liverpool
2–1 on the last day of the season. Ranieri's achievement, coming after a close season where the club were in a difficult financial situation and the only arrival was Enrique de Lucas
from Espanyol
on a free transfer
, was greatly appreciated by fans and the media alike. In addition, Ranieri succeeded in getting the best out of players like Samuele Dalla Bona
and Mario Stanić
and nurtured emerging talents in John Terry
, Robert Huth
, and Carlton Cole
.
When Chelsea were taken over by Russian
billionaire Roman Abramovich
in 2003, Ranieri was given a large transfer fund but also found his job under threat. Days after the takeover, Abramovich was spotted meeting with England
manager Sven-Göran Eriksson
. Although the club denied Eriksson would be taking over at the time, these rumours would haunt Ranieri's season. Ranieri spent £120 million on players in the summer of 2003. These signings included Irish
winger Damien Duff
for a then club record £17 million, English
youngsters Wayne Bridge
, Joe Cole, and Glen Johnson, Argentine
pair Juan Sebastián Verón
and Hernán Crespo
, Frenchman
Claude Makélélé
and Romanian
star Adrian Mutu
.
The heavy investment brought the best league placing for the club in 49 years, finishing runners-up in the Premier League
to Arsenal
, the first side in over a century to go an entire league season unbeaten
. This position automatically qualified Chelsea for the Champions League. The club also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League; Chelsea knocked out Arsenal en route, although Ranieri's position was weakened by the semi-final loss to AS Monaco, a reverse the manager himself was blamed for due to several bizarre substitutions and tactical changes. That season saw Chelsea break club records for the least number of goals conceded and highest number of points in a season.
Former English footballer and pundit David Platt used the example of Ranieri to illustrate his observation that "building a team that can win the title and actually steering this team to the title are two different matters entirely." On 31 May 2004, after almost a year of speculation, which included the club's well-publicized courting of Eriksson, he was finally relieved of his coaching duties at Chelsea, and his job went to José Mourinho
, who had led Porto to successive European triumphs. In Ranieri's four seasons Chelsea improved their points total season on season. The core of the Chelsea team which won two Premier League titles under Mourinho, including John Terry
, Petr Čech
, Arjen Robben
, William Gallas
, Claude Makélélé
, and Frank Lampard
were all brought to Chelsea or nurtured by Ranieri.
Ranieri published in September 2004 a book named Proud Man Walking chronicling his last year at Chelsea. All proceeds went to London
's Great Ormond Street Hospital
.
on a three-year contract.
Ranieri took over after Rafael Benítez
, the manager who had led Valencia to the UEFA Cup
and La Liga double the previous season, resigned and then promptly joined Liverpool. Ranieri made a series of signings from Serie A, including Marco Di Vaio
, Stefano Fiore
, Bernardo Corradi
, and Emiliano Moretti
. After a bright start, in which the Mestalla outfit picked up 14 out of a possible 18 points and beat Porto to lift the UEFA Super Cup, Valencia went into a slump starting in October. They won only once in 7 games and were knocked out of the Champions League, partly thanks to a 5–1 defeat to Internazionale in which midfielder Miguel Angulo was sent off for spitting. After a brief revival, Valencia went another 6 games without a win beginning mid-January. Apart from the unpopularity of his four Italian signings Ranieri was criticised for not playing Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar
and for persistent changes to formations and tactics, something resembling his Chelsea days.
He was sacked on 25 February 2005 after Valencia were knocked out of the UEFA Cup
by Steaua Bucureşti. Valencia were sixth in La Liga
at the time of Ranieri's sacking.
Quique Sánchez Flores
was announced by Valencia in June 2005 to be Ranieri's long term successor. Prior to that Ranieri had picked up £3million from Valencia for the premature termination of his contract.
head coach following the sacking of Stefano Pioli
. He lost his first game in charge against U.C. Sampdoria
1–0, but subsequently managed to make several impressive results to help Parma in the relegation battle, obtaining 17 points in 10 matches (to be compared to his predecessor's 15 points in 23 matches), including a 4–3 unexpected away win at Palermo
which caused the rosanero to sack their coach Francesco Guidolin
. The impressive results continued in the run up to the end of the season and Parma avoided relegation, ending the season with a 3–1 win over Empoli
to finish at 12th position in the Serie A. The team started to hit some impressive goal-scoring form as well, seen in the 4–1 thrashing of Messina
in early May.
After helping Parma escape from relegation, Ranieri was linked with several managing jobs, including Fulham
, Manchester City
, and Palermo
. On 16 May 2007, William Hill
suspended betting on him becoming Manchester City manager following a flurry of betting activity. On 31 May, Parma announced Ranieri would not be the club's head coach for the following season.
. He signed a 3 year contract with the club. The deal took effect on 1 July 2007. Ranieri signed big names such as Vincenzo Iaquinta
from Udinese
and Zdeněk Grygera
from Ajax. His first season as manager of Juventus was fairly successful, as he guided the team to a 3rd place finish just one season after they had been competing in the Serie B
following the match-fixing scandal which rocked Italian football.
In August 2008, Ranieri engaged in a war of words with new Internazionale
manager José Mourinho
, who had replaced him four years earlier at Chelsea
. He highlighted Inter as the strongest threat to Juventus in Serie A
. After Juventus failed to register a win in seven matches during a two month period, he was said to have been under real pressure to maintain his job as head coach with many supporters of the club publicly criticising the team and in particular Ranieri. Speculation ended when, after having an emergency board meeting on the 18 May 2009, the board sacked Ranieri after Inter were confirmed Champions. He was replaced by youth system chief Ciro Ferrara
. Juventus finished the season 2nd, one place better than the previous season.
on a two year contract, succeeding Luciano Spalletti
, who had resigned that day after opening the 2009–10 season with two defeats. Thus, Rome-born Ranieri became head coach of the football club which he had supported since childhood.
Under his guidance, Roma dramatically improved their performances and thrust themselves into the championship battle, reducing the gap between themselves and leaders Inter to only one point after Ranieri's team defeated Mourinho's Nerazzurri in Week 31. Roma then went on to win two more games consecutively and overtook Inter by Week 33, thanks to a 2–1 home win against Atalanta
and Inter's 2–2 draw against Fiorentina
. This left the Giallorossi on the top of the table with five games remaining. Roma then extended its unbeaten run to 23 games and also maintained first place in the league table by winning a heated derby against crosstown rivals
Lazio
. Ranieri was hailed by the press for substituting local heroes Francesco Totti
and Daniele De Rossi
during half-time, while Roma was losing 1–0; the Giallorossi then won the game 2–1 thanks to two second-half goals from Mirko Vučinić
. However Roma would surrender their lead in Serie A and also lose the Coppa Italia final, in both cases to treble-winning Inter.
Ranieri resigned as manager on 20 February 2011 after a poor run of results. His final game in charge was a 4-3 defeat to Genoa
, in which Roma surrendered a 3-0 lead.
taking the place of Gian Piero Gasperini
who was dismissed for poor performances after just a couple of matches.
He signed a contract that will keep him with the club until 30 June 2013.. The Nerazzurri managed to win 3-1 in Ranieri's debut against Bologna
on 24 September; this was the first competitive win for the team in all tournaments since the beginning of the season, and was followed by a 3-2 Champions League win away to CSKA.
U.S. Città di Palermo
ACF Fiorentina
Valencia CF
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
football manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
.
He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
, Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
, Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
, Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
, Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
and Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
.
Early life
Ranieri attended St Catherine's secondary school in Wexford, Ireland while on a year long exchange program to learn English. During this time he excelled at hurling and was selected to represent Wexford at under-16 level. A pacy attacking wing back, he scored a total of 1-6 for Wexford during this period while helping them to a Leinster title at this grade. He has frequently spoken publicly of his fond memories of this victory and his desire to return at some stage to Ireland to manage a hurling team. Despite attempts by the Wexford county board to encourage him to continue his playing career in Ireland, Ranieri returned to his native Italy to pursue his career as a footballer at the age of 17.Club career
Ranieri first signed as a professional football player with RomaA.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
, though in his two seasons with the club he only made six appearances; he also had a one-month loan spell with Siracusa
U.S. Siracusa
Unione Sportiva Siracusa, commonly referred to as simply Siracusa or the abbreviation US Siracusa, is an Italian association football club located in Syracuse, Sicily. The club was founded in 1924 and for most of its history has played in the lower divisions of professional Italian football...
. As a player, Ranieri played most of his career as a defender for Catanzaro
F.C. Catanzaro
Catanzaro Calcio 2011 is an Italian football club based in Catanzaro, Calabria.The club were founded in 1929 as Catanzarese, then changed their denomnation to Unione Sportiva Catanzaro in 1946, shortly after the end of the World War II and in 2006 to Football Club Catanzaro...
(1974–1982), Catania
Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
(1982–1984), and Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
(1984–1986). He was involved in four successful promotion campaigns (two with Catanzaro and one each with Catania and Palermo).
Campania, Cagliari
After amateur side Vigor LameziaVigor Lamezia
Vigor Lamezia is an Italian association football club, based in Lamezia Terme, Calabria. The club was founded in 1919 and refounded in 1975. Vigor Lamezia currently plays in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione. The team's colors are green and white....
, his first managerial position was at Campania Puteolana, a small team in Pozzuoli
Pozzuoli
Pozzuoli is a city and comune of the province of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean peninsula.-History:Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of Dicaearchia...
. He took charge there in 1987. However, it was at Cagliari
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
that he made his name, getting them promoted to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
from the third division Serie C1
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
in successive seasons.
Napoli
He moved to coach at NapoliS.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
for two seasons. Despite finishing in fourth place in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, he won no silverware. He did, however, introduce Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola, OBE, Ufficiale OMRI is a retired Italian footballer and manager, who most recently managed West Ham United from 2008 to 2010, after having been assistant manager of the Italy U-21 under Pierluigi Casiraghi...
to the first team to replace Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
.
Fiorentina
He joined FiorentinaACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
in 1993, gaining promotion from Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
in his first season. He subsequently had success in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, winning the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
and SuperCoppa Italiana
Supercoppa Italiana
The Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
in 1996.
Valencia – First spell
In 1997, Ranieri moved to SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to take over at Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
. He was the coach from 1997 to 1999 and guided Valencia to UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
qualification and the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
in 1999. After his first spell, Ranieri left a popular man and has been credited for putting Valencia on the track to subsequent success in the Champions League and La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
.
He was responsible for the development of several youth players at the club, among them Gaizka Mendieta
Gaizka Mendieta
Gaizka Mendieta Zabala is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder.Versatile, with good offensive and tackling skills, also being capable of creating goals for teammates and himself, he played mainly for Valencia CF, and finished his career at Middlesbrough of England.He played 40...
, Miguel Ángel Angulo, and Javier Farinós. Ranieri also signed some players who would become highly successful at the Mestalla
Mestalla
Estadio Mestalla is a football stadium in Valencia, Spain. The stadium is the home ground of Valencia Club de Fútbol. With a capacity of 55,000 seats, it ranks as the fifth-largest stadium in Spain...
, among them goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares
Santiago Cañizares
José Santiago Cañizares Ruiz is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.After playing with Real Madrid, mostly as a backup, he finished his career at Valencia CF, where he appeared in more than 400 official games since 1998.In his prime, he was regarded as one of the best...
.
Ranieri's first spell at Valencia is widely regarded as a precursor of what would later happen at Chelsea, since both clubs achieved success which was in part attributable to the input of Ranieri.
Atlético Madrid
Ranieri joined the club in 1999. During his time as manager at Atlético Madrid, the club went into administration and the team struggled on the pitch. Nearing the brink of relegation, Ranieri resigned before he could be sacked by the Atlético chairman Jesús GilJesús Gil
Gregorio Jesús Gil y Gil was a Spanish businessman and politician. He served as Mayor of Marbella, between 1996 and 2002, and was also known for his 16-year stint as president of Spanish football club Atlético Madrid....
, who was well known for sacking managers. Atlético would indeed go on to be relegated.
Chelsea
As head coach of ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
from 18 September 2000 to 31 May 2004, Ranieri worked hard to overcome the language barrier. When he arrived at the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
club, he could speak only limited English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
; fortunately, the club had a few players who could speak Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and could help translate for him on the training pitch. Ranieri's first season consisted of inconsistent results, with Chelsea reaching sixth place and a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
spot.
Ranieri had been instructed to reduce the average age of the squad, and worked to rebuild Chelsea in the summer of 2001, essentially creating a brand new midfield by signing Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
from West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel "Manu" Laurent Petit is a retired French footballer, who played his club football for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea...
and Boudewijn Zenden from Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, and Jesper Grønkjær
Jesper Grønkjær
Jesper Grønkjær is a former Danish professional football player. A pacey winger, he was able to play on the right or left wing and as a second striker. Grønkjær played a total 400 league games for a number of European clubs, most notably winning the 1999 Dutch Cup with Ajax Amsterdam and playing...
from Ajax
Ajax Amsterdam
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax , also referred to as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam or simply Ajax , is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
. He also signed defender William Gallas
William Gallas
William Eric Gallas is a French footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur.Gallas began his career in France, before being signed by English club Chelsea in 2001. He transferred to rivals Arsenal as part of an exchange deal in 2006...
from Olympique Marseille, spending in total over £30 million. He was criticised, however, for both selling fan favourite Dennis Wise
Dennis Wise
Dennis Frank Wise is an English former football manager and player, and former Executive Director at Newcastle United....
and the fact that Chelsea's league performance did not improve much on the previous season. They finished 6th once again but did reach the FA Cup Final
2002 FA Cup Final
The 2002 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 2001–02 FA Cup competition. It was an all-London affair between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium on 4 May 2002...
, losing 2–0 to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
.
During the 2002–03
2002-03 in English football
The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable...
season and throughout his Chelsea days Ranieri was accused of over-rotating his squad, picking up the nickname of "the Tinkerman" from the British media. Chelsea finished the season on a high, qualifying for the Champions League after beating Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
2–1 on the last day of the season. Ranieri's achievement, coming after a close season where the club were in a difficult financial situation and the only arrival was Enrique de Lucas
Enrique de Lucas
Enrique "Quique" de Lucas Martínez is a Spanish footballer who plays for Celta de Vigo mainly as an attacking midfielder.-Club career:...
from Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
on a free transfer
Free transfer
In professional association football, a free transfer, also known as a Bosman transfer, involves a professional association football club releasing a player once the player's contract has expired or made available just before the end of the contract....
, was greatly appreciated by fans and the media alike. In addition, Ranieri succeeded in getting the best out of players like Samuele Dalla Bona
Samuele Dalla Bona
Samuele Dalla Bona , sometimes referred to as Sam Dalla Bona, is an Italian footballer who currently plays for Mantova F.C..-Chelsea:...
and Mario Stanić
Mario Stanic
Mario Stanić is a former Croatian football midfielder.-Career:He started his career with Željezničar Sarajevo. He was considered to be one of the most talented young players in former Yugoslavia. In 1992, war began and he went to Croatia, where he played for Dinamo Zagreb...
and nurtured emerging talents in John Terry
John Terry
John George Terry is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League...
, Robert Huth
Robert Huth
Robert Huth is a German footballer who plays as a centre back for Premier League club Stoke City.Huth was signed for Chelsea from the youth system of German club Union Berlin in 2001 by then Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri. He joined Middlesbrough in 2006 and spent three years at the Riverside...
, and Carlton Cole
Carlton Cole
Carlton Michael Cole Okirie is an English footballer who plays as a striker for West Ham United in the Npower Championship....
.
When Chelsea were taken over by Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
billionaire Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
in 2003, Ranieri was given a large transfer fund but also found his job under threat. Days after the takeover, Abramovich was spotted meeting with England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
manager Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
. Although the club denied Eriksson would be taking over at the time, these rumours would haunt Ranieri's season. Ranieri spent £120 million on players in the summer of 2003. These signings included Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
winger Damien Duff
Damien Duff
Damien Anthony Duff is an Irish footballer who plays for Premier League team Fulham and the Republic of Ireland national football team. With Ireland he has participated in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and helped his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012...
for a then club record £17 million, English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
youngsters Wayne Bridge
Wayne Bridge
Wayne Michael Bridge is an English footballer who plays as a left back for Manchester City.A graduate of the Southampton Academy where he made his debut in 1998, he has also played for Chelsea and Fulham during his Premiership career....
, Joe Cole, and Glen Johnson, Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
pair Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón is an Argentinian professional football player who is the current captain and midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División....
and Hernán Crespo
Hernán Crespo
Hernán Jorge Crespo is an Argentine footballer who plays for Parma in the Italian Serie A. Crespo has scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 18 years. His honors include an Olympic Games silver medal, a Copa Libertadores, an English Premier League title and three Scudettos. He was topscorer in...
, Frenchman
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Claude Makélélé
Claude Makélélé
Claude Makélelé Sinda is a retired football player who used to play as a defensive midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. Prior to joining Paris Saint-Germain, Makélélé played for Nantes, Olympique de Marseille, Celta Vigo, Real Madrid and Chelsea...
and Romanian
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
star Adrian Mutu
Adrian Mutu
Adrian Mutu is a Romanian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Cesena.-Argeş Piteşti:Mutu began his professional career with his home club Argeş Piteşti...
.
The heavy investment brought the best league placing for the club in 49 years, finishing runners-up in the Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, the first side in over a century to go an entire league season unbeaten
The Invincibles (football)
In English football, "The Invincibles" has been used to refer to either the Preston North End team of the 1880s, or the Arsenal team of the 2003–04 season...
. This position automatically qualified Chelsea for the Champions League. The club also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League; Chelsea knocked out Arsenal en route, although Ranieri's position was weakened by the semi-final loss to AS Monaco, a reverse the manager himself was blamed for due to several bizarre substitutions and tactical changes. That season saw Chelsea break club records for the least number of goals conceded and highest number of points in a season.
Former English footballer and pundit David Platt used the example of Ranieri to illustrate his observation that "building a team that can win the title and actually steering this team to the title are two different matters entirely." On 31 May 2004, after almost a year of speculation, which included the club's well-publicized courting of Eriksson, he was finally relieved of his coaching duties at Chelsea, and his job went to José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
, who had led Porto to successive European triumphs. In Ranieri's four seasons Chelsea improved their points total season on season. The core of the Chelsea team which won two Premier League titles under Mourinho, including John Terry
John Terry
John George Terry is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League...
, Petr Čech
Petr Cech
Petr Čech is a Czech footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Czech Republic as a goalkeeper. Čech previously played for Viktoria Plzeň, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the semi-finals...
, Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben is a Dutch footballer who plays for the German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Though often classified as a forward, he usually plays behind the forwards as a winger, and he is also known for his dribbling skills...
, William Gallas
William Gallas
William Eric Gallas is a French footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur.Gallas began his career in France, before being signed by English club Chelsea in 2001. He transferred to rivals Arsenal as part of an exchange deal in 2006...
, Claude Makélélé
Claude Makélélé
Claude Makélelé Sinda is a retired football player who used to play as a defensive midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. Prior to joining Paris Saint-Germain, Makélélé played for Nantes, Olympique de Marseille, Celta Vigo, Real Madrid and Chelsea...
, and Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
were all brought to Chelsea or nurtured by Ranieri.
Ranieri published in September 2004 a book named Proud Man Walking chronicling his last year at Chelsea. All proceeds went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children is a children's hospital located in London, United Kingdom...
.
Return to Valencia
On 8 June 2004, he returned for a second stint as coach of ValenciaValencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
on a three-year contract.
Ranieri took over after Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
, the manager who had led Valencia to the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
and La Liga double the previous season, resigned and then promptly joined Liverpool. Ranieri made a series of signings from Serie A, including Marco Di Vaio
Marco Di Vaio
Marco Di Vaio is an Italian football striker, who currently plays for Bologna FC. In his long career, Di Vaio has played for the likes of Lazio, Hellas Verona, Bari, Salernitana, Parma, Juventus, Valencia and Monaco...
, Stefano Fiore
Stefano Fiore
Stefano Fiore is an Italian football manager and former player, who can play as an attacking midfielder or on the wing. He is currently in charge as manager technical area of Cosenza in Serie D.-Parma and early years:...
, Bernardo Corradi
Bernardo Corradi
Bernardo Corradi is an Italian footballer, who is currently a free agent. He was a former Italian international.-Early career:...
, and Emiliano Moretti
Emiliano Moretti
Emiliano Moretti is an Italian football defender, who currently plays for Genoa C.F.C..-Club career:Moretti started his career with local club Lodigiani, and in 2000 transferred to AC Fiorentina. He made his Serie A debut in March 2001, and was a member of the team that won the 2001 Coppa Italia....
. After a bright start, in which the Mestalla outfit picked up 14 out of a possible 18 points and beat Porto to lift the UEFA Super Cup, Valencia went into a slump starting in October. They won only once in 7 games and were knocked out of the Champions League, partly thanks to a 5–1 defeat to Internazionale in which midfielder Miguel Angulo was sent off for spitting. After a brief revival, Valencia went another 6 games without a win beginning mid-January. Apart from the unpopularity of his four Italian signings Ranieri was criticised for not playing Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar
Pablo Aimar
Pablo César Aimar Giordano is a Argentine professional footballer who plays for Sport Lisboa e Benfica in the Portuguese first division. An attacking midfielder with a vast array of skills, he also holds a Spanish passport....
and for persistent changes to formations and tactics, something resembling his Chelsea days.
He was sacked on 25 February 2005 after Valencia were knocked out of the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
by Steaua Bucureşti. Valencia were sixth in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
at the time of Ranieri's sacking.
Quique Sánchez Flores
Quique Sanchez Flores
Enrique "Quique" Sánchez Flores is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a right defender, and a current manager....
was announced by Valencia in June 2005 to be Ranieri's long term successor. Prior to that Ranieri had picked up £3million from Valencia for the premature termination of his contract.
Parma
On 12 February 2007, one day after the 23rd Serie A matchday, Ranieri was announced as the new ParmaParma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
head coach following the sacking of Stefano Pioli
Stefano Pioli
Stefano Pioli is an Italian former footballer and current manager of Serie A team Bologna.-Player:Pioli, a native of Parma, started his own playing career for his home city team, AC Parma. Successively, he was signed by Juventus, with whom he had his Serie A debut in 1984...
. He lost his first game in charge against U.C. Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
1–0, but subsequently managed to make several impressive results to help Parma in the relegation battle, obtaining 17 points in 10 matches (to be compared to his predecessor's 15 points in 23 matches), including a 4–3 unexpected away win at Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
which caused the rosanero to sack their coach Francesco Guidolin
Francesco Guidolin
Francesco Guidolin is an Italian football manager and former player, currently serving as head coach of Serie A outfit Udinese.-Playing career:...
. The impressive results continued in the run up to the end of the season and Parma avoided relegation, ending the season with a 3–1 win over Empoli
Empoli F.C.
Empoli Football Club is an Italian association football club located in Empoli, Tuscany, founded in 1920 and played its first official match in 1921.In recent years, the club has all too often been bouncing between Italy's two top divisions...
to finish at 12th position in the Serie A. The team started to hit some impressive goal-scoring form as well, seen in the 4–1 thrashing of Messina
F.C. Messina Peloro
Associazione Calcio Rinascita Messina is an Italian football club based in Messina, Sicily. It currently plays in Serie D.- Brief history :The origins of the team go back to 1900 when Messina F.C was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its history in the lower Italian football leagues...
in early May.
After helping Parma escape from relegation, Ranieri was linked with several managing jobs, including Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, and Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
. On 16 May 2007, William Hill
William Hill (bookmaker)
William Hill plc is one of the largest bookmakers in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters is in the north London suburb of Wood Green and in Leeds, West Yorkshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
suspended betting on him becoming Manchester City manager following a flurry of betting activity. On 31 May, Parma announced Ranieri would not be the club's head coach for the following season.
Juventus
On 4 June 2007, it was announced Ranieri would be taking over at JuventusJuventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
. He signed a 3 year contract with the club. The deal took effect on 1 July 2007. Ranieri signed big names such as Vincenzo Iaquinta
Vincenzo Iaquinta
Vincenzo Iaquinta, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus. He is a strong striker who can also play on the wing.-Reggiolo:...
from Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
and Zdeněk Grygera
Zdenek Grygera
Zdeněk Grygera is a Czech football player who is currently playing for English club Fulham. He is usually a right back or centre back but can play anywhere in defence.-Early career:...
from Ajax. His first season as manager of Juventus was fairly successful, as he guided the team to a 3rd place finish just one season after they had been competing in the Serie B
Serie B 2006-07
The 2006-07 Serie B season started on September 9, 2006 and ended on June 10, 2007. The 22 clubs in Serie B each played 42 matches during the regular season....
following the match-fixing scandal which rocked Italian football.
In August 2008, Ranieri engaged in a war of words with new Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
manager José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
, who had replaced him four years earlier at Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. He highlighted Inter as the strongest threat to Juventus in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. After Juventus failed to register a win in seven matches during a two month period, he was said to have been under real pressure to maintain his job as head coach with many supporters of the club publicly criticising the team and in particular Ranieri. Speculation ended when, after having an emergency board meeting on the 18 May 2009, the board sacked Ranieri after Inter were confirmed Champions. He was replaced by youth system chief Ciro Ferrara
Ciro Ferrara
Ciro Ferrara is a former Italian footballer and current head coach of the Italy U-21 team. He spent his playing career as a defender initially at Napoli and later on at Juventus. He is also a former manager of Juventus.-Napoli:...
. Juventus finished the season 2nd, one place better than the previous season.
Roma
On 1 September 2009, Ranieri was signed as the new manager of RomaA.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
on a two year contract, succeeding Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti
Luciano Spalletti is a retired Italian footballer and current coach of FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.-Playing career:Born in Certaldo, Province of Florence, Spalletti played for Serie C teams such as Entella, Spezia, Viareggio and Empoli....
, who had resigned that day after opening the 2009–10 season with two defeats. Thus, Rome-born Ranieri became head coach of the football club which he had supported since childhood.
Under his guidance, Roma dramatically improved their performances and thrust themselves into the championship battle, reducing the gap between themselves and leaders Inter to only one point after Ranieri's team defeated Mourinho's Nerazzurri in Week 31. Roma then went on to win two more games consecutively and overtook Inter by Week 33, thanks to a 2–1 home win against Atalanta
Atalanta B.C.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
and Inter's 2–2 draw against Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
. This left the Giallorossi on the top of the table with five games remaining. Roma then extended its unbeaten run to 23 games and also maintained first place in the league table by winning a heated derby against crosstown rivals
Derby della Capitale
The Derby della Capitale , also known as Derby Capitolino and Derby del Cupolone, as well as The Rome Derby in English, is the football local derby in Rome, Italy, between the two major teams of the city, Roma and Lazio...
Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
. Ranieri was hailed by the press for substituting local heroes Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most...
and Daniele De Rossi
Daniele De Rossi
Daniele De Rossi, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma. He is the current Roma's vice-captain and nicknamed as Capitan Futuro due to his high probabality as heir-apparent to Francesco Totti's captain armband.With Roma he has won the Coppa Italia...
during half-time, while Roma was losing 1–0; the Giallorossi then won the game 2–1 thanks to two second-half goals from Mirko Vučinić
Mirko Vucinic
Mirko Vučinić is a Montenegrin footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Juventus. Originally from the city of Nikšić, Vučinić found himself playing for the local team there during his early teen years...
. However Roma would surrender their lead in Serie A and also lose the Coppa Italia final, in both cases to treble-winning Inter.
Ranieri resigned as manager on 20 February 2011 after a poor run of results. His final game in charge was a 4-3 defeat to Genoa
Genoa C.F.C.
Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria...
, in which Roma surrendered a 3-0 lead.
Internazionale
On 22 September 2011, Ranieri was named as the new manager of InternazionaleF.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
taking the place of Gian Piero Gasperini
Gian Piero Gasperini
Gian Piero Gasperini is an Italian football coach.He has been nicknamed "Gasperson" after Enrico Preziosi, president of Genoa, claimed Gasperini to be their Ferguson.- Playing :...
who was dismissed for poor performances after just a couple of matches.
He signed a contract that will keep him with the club until 30 June 2013.. The Nerazzurri managed to win 3-1 in Ranieri's debut against Bologna
Bologna F.C. 1909
Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...
on 24 September; this was the first competitive win for the team in all tournaments since the beginning of the season, and was followed by a 3-2 Champions League win away to CSKA.
Managerial statistics
As of 27 November 2011| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Campania | 1987 | 1988 | ||||||
| Cagliari Cagliari Calcio Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B.... |
1988 | 1991 | 72 | 23 | 30 | 19 | 31.94 | |
| Napoli S.S.C. Napoli Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season.... |
1991 | 1993 | 68 | 25 | 24 | 19 | 36.76 | |
| Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A... |
1993 | 1997 | 140 | 56 | 50 | 34 | 40 | |
| Valencia Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the... |
1997 | 1999 | 76 | 35 | 15 | 26 | 46.05 | |
| Atlético Madrid | 1999 | 2000 | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 23.68 | |
| Chelsea Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four... |
18 September 2000 | 31 May 2004 | 199 | 107 | 46 | 46 | 53.76 | |
| Valencia Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the... |
16 June 2004 | 25 February 2005 | 36 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 41.66 | |
| Parma Parma F.C. Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its... |
12 February 2007 | 31 May 2007 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 43.75 | |
| Juventus Juventus F.C. Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont... |
1 July 2007 | 18 May 2009 | 92 | 45 | 30 | 17 | 48.91 | |
| Roma A.S. Roma Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s... |
1 September 2009 | 21 February 2011 | 56 | 32 | 13 | 11 | 57.14 | |
| Internazionale F.C. Internazionale Milano Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always... |
22 September 2011 | Present | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 58.33 | |
Player
Calcio CataniaCalcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
- Serie BSerie BSerie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
: Promotion 1982–83
U.S. Città di Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
- Serie C1Serie C1Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
: 1984–85
Manager
Cagliari CalcioCagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
- Serie BSerie BSerie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
: Promotion 1989–90 - Serie C1Serie C1Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
: Promotion 1988–89
- Coppa Italia Serie CCoppa Italia Serie CCoppa Italia Lega Pro , formerly named Coppa Italia Serie C, is a straight knock-out based competition involving teams from Lega Pro in Italian football. All games, including the final, are on a home/away basis....
: 1989
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
- Serie BSerie BSerie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
Championship: 1993–94 - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 1996 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 1996
Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1999 - UEFA Intertoto CupUEFA Intertoto CupThe UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
: 1998 - UEFA Super Cup: 2004