Thursday 5 May 2016 10:03, UK
Claudio Ranieri has "rediscovered himself" in the Premier League and is now the "King of England", his mum has declared.
Renata Ranieri admitted she burst into tears when Leicester were confirmed as Premier League champions on Monday after Tottenham were held to a 2-2 draw at Chelsea.
The Italian flew to Rome for lunch with his 96-year-old mother on the day of the match before flying back to England, while his players gathered together to watch as Eden Hazard's strike ended Spurs' title challenge.
Renata did not expect her son's success with the Foxes, but said she did not miss a match as the dramatic campaign unfolded.
"At the final whistle I burst into tears. I only heard from Claudio later because my grandchildren and my son's cousins called. He was so happy. We all are. Now we can finally relax," she told Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
"I watched every game; it was a continual series of emotions. He calls me every evening and kept me up to date on everything. This morning I bought the sports papers and saw the headlines. It was satisfying.
"I have to admit, I did not expect him to win with Leicester. He found these players … they are good lads. He told me they always trained as real professionals.
"Naturally it wasn't a big squad full of champions. I know that he's happy in England, they always treated him perfectly. He rediscovered himself there."
Renata also divulged what the pair had eaten during their Monday meal but said the Leicester manager was keener to relax rather than talk about football.
"We had some steak with chicory. Before leaving, he ate strawberries with lemon and sugar," she added.
"My son has to keep himself in shape, so he rarely asks for a starter. He talked about Leicester a bit, but wanted to relax.
"He was with me for two hours, then said the president of his team had organised a plane to take him back to England. We said goodbye and he went towards the Ciampino airport."
Ranieri had previously spent 18 months at Roma, his hometown club, before resigning in 2011 and Renata said his newfound and unexpected success had allowed him to forget that disappointment.
"In my view, at Roma he was not treated with respect. In the family we are all Giallorossi fans, so when Claudio was there we were also guests at Trigoria [the training ground]," she said.
"We were disappointed with the way things ended. Look, he won his own scudetto here too, because he went really close, but he arrived after the season had already started.
"Now he's 'King of England', imagine that."
