Claudio Ranieri set to make surprise return as AS Roma manager for the third time in his career, per reports

Italian soccer legend Claudio Ranieri will be back on the AS Roma bench for the third time in his career, after the 73 year-old announced his retirement last May after avoiding relegation with Cagliari, according to multiple reports. Ranieri, who most notably won the Premier League in 2016 with Leicester City, is back in the Italian Serie A after AS Roma American owner Dan Friedkin decided to appoint him after sacking both Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric in less than two months into the 2024-25 season. 

Ranieri was selected to drive this team in a incredibly difficult moment and becomes the Roma manager for the third time in his career. He was born in Rome in 1951 and then played for team when he was a soccer player in the 1970's. After that, he came back on the Roma bench in 2009 where he almost won the 2009-10 title before losing it in the last Game of the season. Then, he left the job in 2011 before making his return in 2019 after the sacking of Eusebio Di Francesco as caretaker manager until the end of the season. This will be his third comeback at the club, who will appoint him until the end of the 2024-25 season. 

The last time Ranieri was on the AS Roma bench, on May 2019, it was a different world. The Giallorossi faced Parma in their last game of the season at the Stadio Olimpico, while the Roma fans were celebrating two iconic figures of their club after a challenging season: Daniele De Rossi and Claudio Ranieri. The first one played his last match for the club he played for his whole life, before ending his professional career at Boca Junior. The second one was celebrated as he helped again his club after a challenging season, but nobody that night could imagine he could be back on the same bench few weeks after the shocking sacking of the same De Rossi.