Ranieri then and now: A lifetime with his beloved Roma | OneFootball

Claudio Ranieri has returned for his third stint as Roma coach, reuniting with many players he worked with before, but his history with the club goes back to being a teenage player.

The 73-year-old had retired this summer when taking Cagliari to promotion from Serie B and then securing their top flight status.

However, he was tempted back onto the bench by the call of his beloved Giallorossi, the side he has always supported, becoming their fourth coach of the calendar year.

Roma released video of the welcome at the airport he received from hundreds of supporters last night, as well as his emotional reunion with long-term players like Stephan El Shaarawy, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Gianluca Mancini at the training ground today.

Ranieri greeted by Roma fans and players

The official club website also brought up a series of photographs from his first stint at the club, which was as an 18-year-old player in 1970.

Before hanging up his boots in 1986, Ranieri also represented Siracusa, Catanzaro, Catania and Palermo.

Claudio Ranieri Roma 1972, asroma.it

His time with Roma as a coach ran first from 2009 to February 2011, then again from March to June 2019.