After securing a hard-fought survival, Claudio Ranieri bid a tearful farewell to Cagliari and the clubs fans. The Isolani secured their place in Serie A for another season thanks to Ranieri’s work on the bench, and speaking after their final game of the season, Ranieri said farewell to his boyhood club.
In honor of his final home match, the fans organized several celebrations and tributes. Before the kickoff, the rossoblù curve displayed a banner in tribute to Ranieri: “Eternal gratitude for a great man: thank you, Mister.”
As the banner was unveiled, the entire stadium rose to applaud Claudio Ranieri, who was visibly moved. Players from both teams, as well as both benches and the referee, joined in the applause for the rossoblù coach.
At the 13th minute, the stadium once again erupted in applause in memory of Davide Astori, a symbol for both teams.
After the match, which was won 3-2 by Fiorentina, the festivities began in honor of Claudio Ranieri. Leonardo Pavoletti invited the stadium to welcome the Roman coach as he entered the field, parading through the honor guard formed by his players.
After entering, all the players embraced Ranieri. Subsequently, President Giulini took the floor, paying tribute to and thanking Ranieri.
Finally, Ranieri himself addressed the crowd:
“Here I am! I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. What we have achieved, we have done thanks to you. When I came back, I asked for your help. Because only with you could we accomplish what we did, both last year and this year. Well done to you and well done to the boys.”
Interrupted by the chants from the stadium in his honor, Ranieri continued: “I want to say something important. Always stand by these guys. Stand by these guys. Sometimes they may play badly, but they will always give everything. When they play, they think of all of you, they think of the island, of how you suffer, of the difficulties you encounter to follow us away from home. And believe me, this is the best motivation a player can have: knowing that there is an island behind him. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
After his touching speech, Ranieri took a lap around the field with his grandchildren and the entire team. Moved, the coach bid farewell to his fans for the last time.
President Giulini also bid farewell to his now former coach, through a post on his X profile: “I don’t want to talk about what the coach did at Cagliari. You all know it. I would like to focus on what he leaves us: grace, loyalty, determination, and courage… The most beautiful values of sport. Thank you, Claudio!”
