Cagliari were 14th when he took over
Claudio Ranieri was left in tears at the full time whistle after Cagliari snatched a dramatic last-minute winner against Bari to secure promotion back to the Serie A.
Cagliari travelled to Bari for the second leg of the Serie B play-off final following a 1-1 draw in the opening game, with 58,000 people attending the sold-out stadium.
After dominating large amounts of the game it was substitute Leonardo Pavoletti who provided the winning touch, latching onto Gabriele Zappa’s cross to prod home a 94th minute winner and take Cagliari back to the promised land.
They will join Serie B champions Frosinone and Genoa in moving up to the top flight of Italy, replacing relegated trio Sampdoria, Cremonese and Spezia.
Ranieri was visibly emotional at full time after securing promotion in his third spell at the club. In his first stint, between 1988 to 1991, he secured back-to-back promotions from third division Serie C1 to Serie A.
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After returning in December, with Cagliari sat in 14th, promotion seemed like an unlikely possibility however 33 years on from his initial success, the 71-year-old has defied the odds yet again.
It’s another success story to add his already-impressive CV. During his first and second spells as Cagliari boss, Ranieri had managed 18 teams, the most successful of those being his historic Premier League title win with Leicester City in 2016.
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