Claudio Ranieri will forever be remembered as a legend at Leicester City and one of the club’s greatest-ever managers.
The Italian coach led the Foxes to the unthinkable in the 2015/16 season as Leicester won the Premier League title, etching their names into football folklore in what will be remembered as one of the greatest achievements in all of sports.
All things come to an end, though, and the now-AS Roma manager was sacked after a string of poor results, with Jamie Carragher believing that player power was behind Ranieri’s departure at Leicester in 2016.
Yet this rumour is one that Ranieri himself has shot down some months after his exit from the King Power Stadium.
Claudio Ranieri did not believe Leicester players were behind sacking
Speaking on Monday Night Football in 2016, Ranieri completely rejected the idea that Leicester’s players were behind his sacking, with the Italian manager pointing out that the Foxes underwent an incredible amount of change virtually overnight having won the Premier League.
Indeed, the sacking of Ranieri was harsh but ultimately the right decision as Leicester’s fortunes turned around immediately once the Italian left, yet rumours that the players were behind the sacking are seemingly fake.
Ranieri said: “No, I can’t believe it. The players maybe didn’t give the maximum because of other problems, they were here before and earned less and then they earned double or triple, or maybe when you say the last match and reset the season you’re so concentrated on being strong and solid and well.
“We started the season well, and when you come back in pre-season and you travel the world and go to America, play against big teams for the first time in your life, the situation is totally different. I can’t believe that my players killed me, no, no, no.”
Could Ruud van Nistelrooy be Leicester’s next managerial sacking?
Ranieri’s sacking from Leicester feels like a million miles away given where the Foxes now are under Ruud van Nistelrooy, who this weekend endured his 13th loss in 14 games with the East Midlands side.
Yet despite this run of form, Van Nistelrooy is unlikely to be sacked by Leicester even with relegation to the Championship now looking a near-certainty heading into the final weeks of the Premier League season.
From Premier League champions to another relegation, things have changed quickly at Leicester since 2016, and Ranieri’s sacking now feels almost comical compared to what the Foxes have suffered this season under Van Nistelrooy.