Claudio Ranieri rolls back the years as Cagliari return to Serie A | OneFootball

Former Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri has performed another miracle, helping Cagliari secure a swift return to Serie A.

Leonardo Pvaoletti’s injury-time winner fired the Sardinian outfit to a 1-0 victory at Bari in the return leg of their play-off final tie, handing Ranieri’s team a 2-1 aggregate win.

Cagliari booked the final date with a 3-2 aggregate triumph over Parma in the semi-finals, recovering from a 2-0 half-time deficit to win at home in the first leg.

Ranieri made what looked almost unthinkable midway through the 2022/23 campaign into reality, leading his side to a fifth-place finish in Serie B.

The 71-year-old rejoined Cagliari after 32 years, replacing Fabio Liverani on January 1, but his predecessor left him plenty to do to bring the Islanders back to Italy’s top flight.

They were 14th in the standings when the experienced Italian manager arrived in January.

However, Ranieri has pulled a rabbit out of the hat again, guiding the Sardinians back to Serie A after only one season in the second tier.

During his first managerial stint at Sardegna Arena, he led Cagliari to back-to-back promotions between 1988 and 1991, helping them climb from Serie C to the Italian top division.

He has done the same thing 32 years later, with Pavoletti’s last-gasp winner reducing the renowned tactician to tears.

Ranieri’s previous assignment didn’t go as planned, as Watford sacked him in January 2021 after only three months in charge, leading many people to believe his managerial career was over.

But after six consecutive jobs in top-flight clubs, he rejoined Cagliari – the club that helped him gain a worldwide reputation as an up-and-coming manager in the early 1990s.

The 71-year-old seemingly has plenty of fuel left in the tank as he prepares for another ride in Serie A.