The Italian coach was once sacked and left Chelsea with the disapproving remark, "I don't know when we'll ever win a championship." But yesterday, he returned here as the new Premier League champion.
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| Chelsea was Claudio Ranieri's first English club, where he worked for four seasons (2000-2004). Despite his many achievements, he had to leave in the summer of 2004, feeling inadequate to meet the ambitions of billionaire Roman Abramovich. But yesterday, the Italian coach returned as a winner. |
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| Nearly 42,000 fans at Stamford Bridge all stood up, not only to join the Chelsea players in the traditional Premier League ceremony of welcoming the new champions, but also to give a round of applause to a familiar face from years past. |
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| Ranieri accepted the offer to return to England to manage Leicester last summer, at a time when the team was struggling to avoid relegation from the Premier League. With what were considered below-average resources, the Italian coach led Leicester to one surprise after another, ultimately writing a fairytale story by winning the Premier League title. |
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| Ranieri received a congratulatory hug from his Chelsea counterpart, Guus Hiddink. The Dutch coach recently stated that Leicester had contacted him before choosing Ranieri, but he declined. Hiddink accepted the offer to return to Chelsea mid-season as interim manager after Mourinho's dismissal, helping the team stem the crisis. However, Hiddink's efforts were not enough to save Chelsea from a disastrous season, ending empty-handed in all competitions – the worst ever seen in the Abramovich era. |
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| Ranieri took the opportunity to sign autographs for some fans. The Italian manager has been away from Stamford Bridge for 12 years, but he still receives a lot of affection from Chelsea supporters. |
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| Leicester's manager was also delighted to be reunited with his former pupil, John Terry. The veteran English defender has matured significantly during his four years working with Ranieri and has been appointed captain of the team since then. Terry was unable to play yesterday due to a suspension. He is likely to leave Chelsea this summer as his contract expires. |
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| Another former pupil of Ranieri's from his time at Chelsea, former goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, presented the Italian coach with a commemorative gift on behalf of the home team. |
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| In the match, Ranieri's Leicester started somewhat slowly and were pressured by Chelsea. It wasn't until the first half that the newly crowned champions found their rhythm. Chelsea opened the scoring in the 65th minute with a penalty from Cesc Fabregas, but with some tactical adjustments by Ranieri, Leicester managed to equalize 1-1 after Danny Drinkwater's beautiful long-range shot in the 81st minute. |
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| Thanks to this result, Leicester extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 12 consecutive matches (since their 1-2 defeat at Arsenal in round 26). Ranieri's team not only achieved their longest unbeaten streak in Premier League history, but also concluded their fairytale season by finishing 10 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal. |
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| After the match, Leicester fans at Stamford Bridge gave Ranieri a standing ovation. They also showed their pride by chanting: "What happened today proves why Leicester are champions." |
According to VNE
