Cagliari have appointed the much-traveled Claudio Ranieri as head coach on a contract until June 2025, 31 years after he left the role.
The 71-year-old Italian returns to the Sardinian club as they seek to revive their season – they are in the lower reaches of the second tier Serie B after being relegated last season.
In his first spell at the club between 1988 and 1991, he led them to successive promotions into the top flight.
He went on to coach most of the big Italian clubs including Juventus, Roma, Napoli and Inter Milan.
He has also worked in Spain, France, Greece and England, where he is best known for guiding Leicester City to a fairytale Premier League title in 2016.
He was less successful in his last job, failing to work his magic at Watford as they earned only seven points in three months before he left in January.
“I’m going back to Cagliari: I’ve always known it, I declared it even then, at the time of my departure,” Ranieri told the club website.
“Cagliari made me understand that maybe I could make it in my job, I had found all the elements that helped me in those three years: fans, players, managers, we were all one.
“In these days you have helped me make this decision, which was not easy for various reasons. We are bound by mutual respect and love, many beautiful memories.”
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