Claudio Ranieri reflects on his retirement: “I never thanked Roma fans enough.” | OneFootball

A few days after his final game as a coach, Claudio Ranieri spoke to Rai Due about his decision to retire.

“I will never coach again,” stated the 73-year-old. “Last year I was sure I had stopped. I thought I had finished on a high note, it seemed like the right ending.”

“Then there were requests to have me return to the bench. That’s when you start to think: ‘Why do they call me?’. I said: ‘If Cagliari or Roma call me, I’ll go’. Then, at a certain point, Roma called me. I came willingly, but I was sorry for the situation they were in.”

“Roma to me is like a mother, because I was born and have always been a Roma fan. Cagliari is also wonderful. I returned there after many years and brought them back to Serie A.”

“I am a lucky man, I admit it. What Cagliari and Roma gave me is indescribable. The tribute by Roma fans made my skin crawl. I have never thanked the fans enough. I did not expect to see the Curva Sud do that in my honor,” he said.

“Pellegrini? It’s a shame that he’s going through such a difficult moment. For me he is one of the best Italian midfielders, I don’t know what happened to him, I hope he can free himself. He is a strong midfielder: I had him and Lampard, two midfielders who were very good at finding the back of the net.”