Claudio Ranieri – Leicester City
The 2015-16 season will long be remembered as one of the greatest championship victories in all of sports. Leicester City winning the Premier League title was nothing short of a miracle and Claudio Ranieri was the man to lead the charge.
The Italian manager had been criticised often in the Premier League during his time at Chelsea, earning his “Tinkerman” nickname from his habit of changing line-ups and rotating players. When Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003, it was not long before Ranieri was cast aside for Jose Mourinho.
Stops at Valencia, Juventus, Roma and Inter Milan all seemed to have promise and end on a sour note. In 2014, a disastrous stint with the Greece national team seemed to completely destroy his reputation.
Taking over the Foxes the following summer, few Leicester supporters seemed pleased with his hiring. No one could have possibly predicted what was about to take place.
Players like Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and N’Golo Kante became superstars. Leicester’s defence dominated matches in the midfield, with a 1-0 victory a common sight throughout the season.
Ranieri was the perfect manager for that particular group of players. His relaxed demeanor and positive disposition allowed the club not to feel the immense pressure that was building around them, as the calendar continued to turn and their place at the top of the table remained.
He even was able to destroy his “Tinkerman” label, as Leicester enjoyed incredible consistency in their line-ups during the campaign. While they have struggled in the Premier League this season, Leicester have topped their UEFA Champions League group with dominant performances.
Claudio Ranieri and Leicester City won the Premier League last year. It is still pretty amazing (and fun) to say that.