I could tell you what a great day of Champions League football it was today. But I can't, because I didn't see any of it. After today my money (what money?.....oh yes, my fake money) is on a Monaco-Leicester final. And then Claudio Ranieri can get his revenge over Monaco for beating his Chelsea in the semifinals in 2004. Oh no, sorry. Ranieri, he's gone. But he could sit back and watch that final and think: I built both of these teams. And they both sacked me.
Ranieri was sacked by Chelsea in 2004 after he led them to second place in the Premier League. He was replaced by a young Portuguese coach, Jose Mourinho, who had just won the Champions League with Porto. In 2014, after leading Monaco from the second division to second place in Ligue 1 in France, he was sacked and replaced by a young successful Portuguese manager, Leonardo Jardim.
Thinking that he needed to try doing things in reverse, Ranieri accepted to replace a not so young, successful Portuguese manager, Fernando Santos, as manager of Greece. It was a disaster. The Faroe Islands even beat Greece, in Greece.
His success with Leicester is, of course, legendary. For one season, at least. And just while he was probably beginning to wonder where the next hot shot Portuguese manager was going to come from he was sacked and replaced by a 53 year old Englishman who's only previous success was an assistant to Ranieri.
So if it is the "final that nobody would have imagined 3 years ago" who will invite Mr. Ranieri as their guest, Leicester or Monaco?
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