Born today in 1951, Claudio Ranieri began his career in football as a player, featuring for sides Roma, Catanzaro, Catania and Palermo before eventually hanging up his boots to pursue coaching.
In 1991, he gained recognition for masterminding Cagliari’s rise to the Serie A from third division, which subsequently helped him secure stints for top-tier teams like Napoli, and Fiorentina, helping the latter secure promotion and a domestic cup win.
Six years later, the Italian packed his bags for Spain where he took charge of Atletico Madrid and Valencia, helping Los Che lift the Copa del Rey in 1999.
With Italy and Spain under his belt, Ranieri’s next destination was England where he managed Chelsea before returning to Valencia to lift the UEFA Super Cup in 2004.
Perhaps feeling homesick, the Roman coach flew back to Italy and coached the likes of Parma, Juventus, Roma and Inter Milan before his appointment at AS Monaco. Despite his successful tenure in France where he ensured promotion in his first season and Champions League qualification in the next, the two parties parted ways in 2014.
After an abysmal stint with Greece, the Italian manager was soon appointed as boss of Premier League side Leicester City, famously leading the Foxes to an unexpected first title triumph in the 2015/2016 season.
More sport stars born on this day:
1961: Ian Rush, the Welsh footballer is Liverpool’s all-time leading goalscorer thanks to his 346 goals in all competitions (55).
1971: Eddie Jones, American basketball player who spent 14 years in the NBA and was thrice selected as part of the All-Star team (45).
1979: Paul O’Connell, retired Irish rugby union lock who sits in third place for most international caps (36).
1992: Mattia De Sciglio, Italian fullback who features for AC Milan and the national side (24).
