The ONE food leading to Leicester City’s success – and led Ranieri to be ‘King of England'
LEICESTER City’s Premier League win can be put down to a very simple dish, Claudio Ranieri’s mother says.
Claudio Ranieri with (L-R) Danny Simpson, Nathan Dyer, Mark Schwarzer and Marc Albrighton
He has green beans or a salad
The Leicester manager’s mother, Renata Ranieri, 96, said her son doesn’t eat the traditional Italian plate of pasta to start his meal with, explaining: “Instead he has green beans or a salad.”
Mrs Ranieri spoke after having dinner with her son in their native Rome hours before his team was crowned champions.
The manager, 64, ate steak with cicoria ripassata - greens cooked with olive oil - followed by strawberries with lemon juice - before flying back to England in time for the end of the 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur which sealed the historic title win for the Foxes.
Leicester's success is down to Claudio Ranieri's eating green beans and salad, his mother says
And he phoned his mother to tell her the good news - and she admitted she was moved to tears of pride when she heard.
She said: “All the newspapers [in Italy] are calling him the King of England, just imagine that. Claudio was so happy when I spoke to him on the phone. Now we can all relax a bit.”
And she said her son had told her he wasn’t managing ‘a great team’ - but the club and city had taken to him.
Claudio Ranieri leaving a pizza restaurant
She said: “I know he settled in well [at Leicester], and that they have always treated him well.
“In Rome, he was not treated with respect. I was sorry about how it ended. I think he could have won the championship in Italy too. He came very close.
“We are so happy. The whole world is paying him compliments, and I thank everyone.”
Ranieri arrives at Leicester training ground after title win
Italy's Gazetto Della Sport hail 'King Claudio' Ranieri
It isn’t just the manager whose eating habits have helped Leicester win their first ever title, though.
Earlier this season, he promised his players to take them for a pizza if they kept a clean sheet - a promised he has repeatedly honoured.