Of all the comeback stories in Premier League history, none top Claudio Ranieri’s. Shunned by Chelsea because he did not bring immediate success and damned to failure before he had managed a game at Leicester, the happiest man in football pulled off the greatest shock in the history of the English game.It was the ultimate fairytale, really. Ranieri’s life in English football started with Leicester’s Saturday lunchtime opponents, Chelsea. He managed the club from September 2000 through to 2004, when he was removed from his post to be replaced by Jose Mourinho amidst hefty investment and greater ambitions at the West London club.Ranieri, as he has been throughout his career, was adored at Chelsea. Affectionately nicknamed the ‘tinkerman’, the Italian was arguably the last man to bring stability to Stamford Bridge. During his four years the squad was overhauled, there was a change of ownership and yet he managed to creep the team towards contention. He did the building work that enabled Mourinho to swoop in and apply the final dose of winning culture – the final piece of the jigsaw.The club was left in a significantly better position than when Ranieri arrived and that is ultimately a good, reliable test of a manager’s tenure. It can easily be overlooked, but Ranieri’s success at the end of 2002/03 enabled Chelsea to qualify for the Champions League and led to the investment of Roman Abramovich. Without that Champions League place, the Blues would have beenÂin a financial mess and could have been blown into dangerous waters.Ranieri built the core of the team with whichÂMourinho won his first two titles, and in his final season in 2003/04, he broke club records – as well as taking the side to aÂChampions League semi-final.After over a decade away from the Premier League, we were treated to a return of the smiling, lovable Italian.
What was to follow was simply the greatest upset in the history of sport. Teams can win cups against the odds, but league seasons are not meant to allow such rank outsiders to upset the favourites – not to mention every expert on the planet. There are ways of explaining what Leicester did, but no one can exactly pinpoint how Ranieri achieved what he did with a squad of rejects and bargains. Superb scouting and consistent selection unquestionably helped and Ranieri will go down in the annals of sporting history as a result.
The tired quote of the 5000/1 odds does not do Ranieri’s achievements justice. As proving sceptics wrong goes, the Italian is the eternal victor. He wins so comprehensively, in fact, it will never be topped. We should not talk of people replicating Leicester’s achievement in 2015/16, it was a freak, it was a golden moment in sporting history and we should cherish it for what it is and admire the success of one of the most popular men in the world’s biggest sport.
From under-appreciation at Chelsea to adulation and apologies at Leicester, Claudio Ranieri has been a gift to the Premier League. His place in history is earned – as will be, hopefully, his ovation when he returns toÂStamford Bridge this weekend as champion. Keep smiling, Claudio.
