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Did Ranieri Abandon Cagliari?
Claudio Ranieri’s Departure from Cagliari: Betrayal or Understandable Move?
At the end of last season, despite having a one-year contract, Claudio Ranieri made the surprising decision to leave Cagliari. The experienced Italian coach had just managed to keep the club from relegation, but chose to retire and wait for new coaching opportunities. However, a few months later, he reversed his decision and accepted the offer to coach Roma, a team he holds dear. This move has sparked a heated debate in Sardinia: was it a betrayal?
In recent weeks, the atmosphere in Sardinia has been filled with contradiction. Ranieri, one of Cagliari’s legends, retired from coaching after helping the team avoid relegation with just one point ahead of Frosinone, the worst of the relegated clubs. His decision was understood by many, and a heartfelt tribute was paid to him.
Ranieri, in some interviews, revealed that at the age of 72, he wasn't ruling out the possibility of managing a national team. Over his career, he only coached one national team, Greece, but his tenure was short-lived—lasting only four games, with three losses and a draw—before his successful stint at Leicester City, where he famously led them to the Premier League title.
His departure from Cagliari marked the end of nearly four decades of coaching, culminating in his biggest achievement: ensuring the club's survival in Serie A. However, just six months later, Roma reached out to him. Despite the dismissal of Daniele de Rossi and the arrival of Ivan Juric, Roma's performance had not improved, and they were far from securing a European spot.
Ranieri, a native of Rome, accepted the challenge and returned to coach Roma for his third spell at the club. Interestingly, the situation at Roma isn’t too different from Cagliari’s—while the Sardinian club is just one point above relegation, Roma is only three points away from the bottom, meaning both teams are facing urgent situations.
Now, Cagliari fans, who have long adored the "Vecchio Signore," find themselves at a moral crossroads. Is it a betrayal for Ranieri to have announced his retirement with a signed season ahead of him, only to change his mind months later? Or is it understandable that he returned to his hometown club when Roma came calling? Are the thanks for the past enough to justify the discomfort of the present? The fans will have to wait until March, when Ranieri’s Roma faces Cagliari, to see if his return is accepted or seen as a betrayal.
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