Leicester City has won the Barclays Premier League championship. It opened the season at 5,000-to-1 to take the title, and Monday completed one of the great underdog stories in sports history.
But an added element makes the stunning feat all the more pleasing for Leicester City supporters and sports fans alike: It was accomplished under Claudio Ranieri, one of the most beloved men in soccer.
A 64-year-old Italian who played professionally before becoming a manager, Ranieri has coached at the international level as well as for several of Europe’s most storied clubs. Through it all, he’s maintained a humble, light-hearted, relaxed and all-around down-to-earth demeanor — embodying a direct rebuttal to many of the fire-and-brimstone cliches often ascribed to successful sports coaches.
As The Guardian phrased it in a headline Tuesday, Ranieri “proves nice guys do not always come second.”
Ranieri’s charming qualities were on regular display during Leicester City press conferences this season — everything from the most amiable of chuckles to big-picture life philosophies that will change your whole perspective, man.
Leicester City collected some of these moments for a celebratory supercut it posted to YouTube on Tuesday. That supercut is embedded atop this post. Enjoy: Ranieri is like the grandfather you always wish you’d had.
