Claudio Ranieri is the ‘King of England’ according to his proud mother, Renata, after his Premier League triumph.
The Leicester manager told journalists, after his side's draw with Manchester United, that he would be taking his 96-year-old mum to lunch instead of watching the London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham. The match ended 2-2 to clinch Leicester’s maiden title.
"Naturally it wasn't a big squad full of champions. I know that he's happy in England, they always treated him perfectly. He rediscovered himself there," she told Italian newspaper La Repubblica
"I watched every game; it was a continual series of emotions. He calls me every evening and kept me up to date on everything. This morning I bought the sports papers and saw the headlines. It was satisfying.
"I have to admit, I did not expect him to win with Leicester. He found these players … they are good lads. He told me they always trained as real professionals.
"At the final whistle I burst into tears. I only heard from Claudio later because my grandchildren and my son's cousins called. He was so happy. We all are. Now we can finally relax,"
Ranieri's mother also revealed that his treatment at Leicester has been very different to the way he was dealt with elsewhere, particularly Roma.
"In my view, at Roma he was not treated with respect. In the family we are all Giallorossi fans, so when Claudio was there we were also guests at Trigoria [the training ground]," she added.
"Now he's 'King of England', imagine that."
Five games that guided Leicester to the title
There have been calls by the Leicester Supporters’ Club chairman, Cliff Ginnetta, for the Italian manager to be ‘honoured in some way’ for what he has achieved at the East Midlands club.
