FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Lazio v AS Roma - Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy - April 13, 2025 AS Roma coach Claudio Ranieri reacts REUTERS/Matteo Ciambelli/File Photo
(Reuters) -Claudio Ranieri is insisting, once again, that this is his last season in football management, and if the 73-year-old stays true to his word then he could bow out having taken his beloved AS Roma to an unexpected Champions League place.
Ranieri announced his retirement from management at the end of last season after avoiding relegation with Cagliari but could not resist when Roma, the club where he began his playing career, came calling.
"I've given my all. Football is my life, but the moment comes to say enough is enough," Ranieri said on Monday after picking up an 'Inside the Sport' award for his career.
"I had said that at Cagliari, with my heart, and everyone believed me, including my wife, until Roma called."
In November, Ranieri became Roma's third manager this season, with the club in the bottom half of the table.
His third spell at Roma began with three defeats in four league games, but since then his side are unbeaten in the league, a run of 18 matches going back to December.
Ranieri has never won a Serie A title, but looking at Roma's form since he took over, he could well have been involved in the Scudetto race had the club brought him in sooner.
Since Ranieri took charge, and despite his inauspicious start, only one club has bettered Roma's haul of 47 points, with leaders Napoli outscoring them by one point.
Roma are undefeated in Serie A in 2025, and in that period no other team has come close to their form, with the next best side, Napoli, collecting seven points fewer.
When Ranieri, who also managed the likes of Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Juventus, replaced Ivan Juric, Roma were 12 points off the top four, but now in sixth place, they find themselves only two points away from a Champions League spot.
Given Roma's current form, Ranieri, who took Leicester City to a Premier League title, could well pull off another miracle before he heads back into retirement, at least from management, as he gets ready for a new role at the club.
"I said yes, for a year as a coach and then as a senior advisor, I don't even really know what that is," Ranieri said.
With four games remaining, Roma host Fiorentina on Sunday, before finishing the season against Atalanta, AC Milan and Torino.
(Reporting by Trevor StynesEditing by Toby Davis)
