Oldest coach in the top leagues: Romas Ranieri wants to step down in the summer

“Time to say that’s it”

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The oldest head coach in the top five leagues wants to retire in the summer – for real this time. Claudio Ranieri, who has been in his 21st professional position at AS Roma since last autumn, has announced the move, which apparently means the end of the 73-year-old’s career. “The club will look for a new coach who can lead the team to the top of Italian and European football,” Ranieri told Italian broadcaster Rai Sport. “At the end of the season I will stop training. It’s time to say that’s it.”

Ranieri actually retired at the end of last season. At that time, after more than a year as coach of the Sardinian club Cagliari Calcio, he declared his coaching career over. However, in November he received the offer from Rome and accepted. Roma, with Mats Hummels, who was reinstated under Ranieri after a long break, is currently in tenth place in the table.

From 1988, Ranieri had led Cagliari Calcio from the third to the first division within two years and launched an unprecedented career. He brought AC Florence and AS Monaco back into the upper house, won the Italian Cup with Fiorentina and the Spanish Cup with Valencia. In 2016 he achieved the globally recognized feat of leading the small Leicester City to the English championship title.

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