Former Monaco and Nantes boss Claudio Ranieri to retire at the end of this season | OneFootball

A managerial career spanning nearly four decades will end when the 2024-25 season concludes.

On Friday, Claudio Ranieri announced to RAI Sport that he would officially retire.

The 73-year-old Italian began his head coaching tenure in May 1986 when he took charge of  Serie D club Vigor Lamezia. Throughout his managerial career, he’s been in charge of 20 different sides, including a brief stint with the Greek national team.

“It’s time to say stop,” the current AS Roma coach said on Friday. “The club will look for a new coach capable of bringing the team into the elite of Italian and European football. I won’t continue next year; it’s really the time to stop.”

Currently, Roma are competing in the UEFA Europa League but have not been in the Champions League since being eliminated by FC Porto in the 2018-19 round of 16.

In May 2012, Ranieri came to the Principality, signing a two-year contract with AS Monaco, who were in Ligue 2 at the time. With his help, Les Monégasques were promoted, finishing first with just four defeats and claiming the Ligue 2 title for the first and only time in club history.

The following season, he guided them to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 behind Paris Saint-Germain, though the club chose not to renew his contract in May 2014, appointing Leonardo Jardim in his place.

Ranieri resurfaced in the French league in June 2017 when FC Nantes appointed him as their new manager. During the 2017-18 campaign, La Maison Jaune finished ninth in the top-flight table with 52 points. The Italian chose to leave the club after one season at the helm.

He’s best remembered for his 2015-16 season when he guided Leicester City to the Premier League title in what is regarded as one of the biggest underdog stories in the competition’s history. The Foxes sacked him in February of the following season.

For his achievements at Leicester, Ranieri was named the Premier League Manager of the Season in 2015-16 and the Best FIFA Men’s Coach in 2016. He was also inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre