Arrivederci, Claudio! Ranieri says his final Leicester goodbyes

Claudio Ranieri insisted he was still feeling positive after saying his goodbyes to his former players and staff at Leicester City on Saturday.

The Italian was controversially sacked by the club on Thursday, with the Foxes hovering just one point above the Premier League’s bottom three.

Leicester’s decision caused outrage across much of the footballing world, coming less than 10 months after the likeable Ranieri led the club to the most remarkable of title triumphs.

Ranieri released a statement on Friday declaring that “his dream had died”, before returning to the training ground for one final farewell.

A gentleman to the end. We love you, Claudio. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/mayME1Hwwr

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) February 24, 2017

“Just to say thank you to the fans, they are fantastic. I feel good now,” he told Sky Sports as he left in his car.

“Yes, of course [I feel good], because what we achieved in Leicester I hope can happen again but it will be very difficult.”

Asked if emotions had been running high during his final goodbyes, Ranieri replied: “No, it was normal.”