Ranieri discusses his rapport with Gasperini and Friedkin

Claudio Ranieri had a globetrotting career as a manager, and has now become the Friedkins’ Senior Advisor.

The former Testaccio-born manager spoke to Il Messaggero about his early days in his neighborhood and his miracle with Leicester.

The former manager began by speaking about Testaccio: “My parents’ butcher shop is no longer there, so I return much less than before. I still have a very vivid memory: we lived on the market square, and it was teeming with people.”

Ranieri then spoke about how he began his football journey: “It was a classic childhood dream. I never attended football schools; they didn’t exist back then. There were youth clubs, and I started at San Saba. At 16, I had a trial with Roma, but they rejected me. Herrera brought me back.”

Then the current Senior Advisor recalled his debut in the Giallorossi jersey: “Scopigno was on the bench. Then Liedholm took over: I definitely had great teachers, there’s no doubt about it. Herrera didn’t make you think; he wanted me to pass the ball straight away. Football is like that now, you play by heart. Scopigno, on the other hand, was thoughtful, but when he got his five-minute mark, it was trouble. Luckily, I was very diligent, and they never scolded me.”

The former footballer then commented on his career: “I was a normal player, I have no regrets. I spent eight wonderful years at Catanzaro. I became captain and now I hold the record for most Serie A appearances for them.”

Ranieri also spoke about his early days as a coach: “I thought, why not give it a try? In Italy, not everyone understands football: it’s one thing to play, and another to watch it from the stands. Being on the bench is another world: you have to know how to talk to managers, players, and journalists. When Cagliari called, they advised me to turn it down. They told me, ‘Think about it, you risk burning yourself out,’ but I wanted to take a chance. My connection with the players has made the difference in my career. A coach needs everyone to follow an idea, right or wrong, for him to be successful.”

The former coach has no doubts about the method he uses to get inside players’ heads: “The fans think they’re robots. It doesn’t work that way: they have ups and downs, and you have to be there for them in difficult moments. I’ve always seen myself as a balancer. There’s a Kipling poem about it: treat victory and defeat like impostors. It’s absolutely true.”

Regarding the solitude of this role, the coach himself said: “The coach is alone. In relation to the team, the outside world, and the management. I tend to shoulder the responsibilities. That’s why I experienced the dismissals as a sinkhole: I didn’t understand certain dynamics. I never thought, or said, that it was the players’ fault.”

Ranieri has no doubts about the most painful parting: “My second year at Valencia. I was clear with the management: we had achieved more than we could have, and we would have to suffer. And they fired me at a difficult moment; I felt betrayed.”

Then the former coach spoke about the call that surprised him the most: “The one from Juventus. I had given my word to Thaksiu Shinawatra, who was buying Manchester City. I was supposed to sign after ten days, but 20 went by. When the call came from Turin, I flew to London and told him I couldn’t wait.”

The ‘miracle man’ then spoke about his title win with Leicester: “I haven’t changed, I’m still the same guy in Kipling’s poem. Since then, public opinion of me has changed. I almost won titles with under-equipped teams and was the eternal runner-up. But I accepted everything, you can’t go against the mainstream. At Leicester, I was in the right place at the right time. They called it the yo-yo team, because it went up and down between the Premier League and the Championship. The president asked me to achieve safety as quickly as possible with a squad that managed to avoid relegation in the last minute. Then in February we played consecutively against Manchester away, Liverpool at home, and Arsenal away. After that, there would be the break. The lads always tried to get a day off, one day Vardy came to me and said: ‘Mister, what if we get nine points?’ I replied that I’d give him a week. We beat Liverpool and Manchester, losing only to Arsenal in the 95th minute with ten men, but for me It was as good as a victory. So I kept my promises. Mahrez spoke to me when he mentioned the team: ‘Where do you think we could get? You know it well…’ I smiled, but triumph had never crossed my mind.”

Ranieri faced José Mourinho several times during his career, and he spoke about it: “At first we clashed, then we became friends. When I arrived at Inter, he was the first to call me. Evidently, they had explained to him what kind of person I was.”

Then the Friedkin Senior Advisor spoke about the state of Italian football: “I see two problems. The first is the lack of money, and so we can’t compete against the English teams, who spend €60 million on players under 20. The second is tied to the cycles. The Dutch were nothing before Cryff, just like the other leagues. We had champions and the ‘Italian-style’ game, which no one has any qualms about using when needed even today, but here a war has broken out between gamblers and pragmatists.”

Ranieri then spoke about saying no to the national team: “What coach wouldn’t want to coach their own national team? But I can say it wasn’t difficult because I’m under contract with Roma. There would have been a conflict of interest. For example: I’m the Friedkins’ point of reference, the national team is playing, but at the same time the Giallorossi have a big match. So I don’t call up the Roma players, or I call them up without playing them and send in the other team’s players. It certainly seemed like the most honest choice, knowing what would happen in Italy.”

The man himself then spoke about his relationship with the Friedkins: “At that moment, they told me I could make any choice I wanted, and they would support me. They were very fair to me. We now communicate frequently via video calls and text messages. The fact that they’re in America isn’t a problem; in England, they were almost never in the teams I coached. Only in Italy do they cause problems. The president is important because he pays at the end of the month.”

Then Ranieri spoke about his future: “I think I’ll end up in Rome, but never say never. I said I’d stop coaching, but when the Giallorossi called me, I accepted. The capital is my mother to me, while Cagliari is my wife. I’m done with the bench. I quit because I realized that the joy of victory was short-lived and defeat devoured me. Now, if I were to change teams, I’d only do it for another managerial role.”