Former Roma manager and current Cagliari boss Claudio Ranieri reflected on his time in the Italian capital.
In an interview with Corriere dello Sport, Ranieri – a long-time Roma fan who got to realize his dream of coaching his boyhood club on two occasions – spoke ahead of the upcoming showdown between Cagliari and the Giallorossi on Sunday.
“Mourinho? He’s an all time great, hats off to him,” said the Italian technician. “When Leicester City sacked me, he showed up in the press room wearing the tracksuit with my initials on it. What could I say to him? Just thank you, he is a great friend, a great coach, only a great man does things like that. Thank you.”
“The Roma team that I inherited from Spalletti was a really good team. We scored more points than Inter – the Inter that won the treble – that Roma was really great to watch. Winning the Scudetto would have been beautiful.”
“The child inside of me will always be a Roma supporter. I have never hidden it and I will never hide it. Then I am a professional and I do the work for the team I coach, I must admit that I am equally a Cagliari fan. Cagliari is the team of my heart as a coach. Look, as a coach I love all the teams I’ve worked for, I always follow them with affection and I control the results of this one or that other one.”
