Editing Claudio Ranieri (section)

==== First season ====
On 13 July 2015, [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] announced Ranieri as the club's new manager on a three-year contract.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33513290 |title=Claudio Ranieri: Leicester City appoint ex-Chelsea manager |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=13 July 2015 |access-date=13 July 2015}}</ref> His appointment was initially met with scepticism; Marcus Christenson of ''[[The Guardian]]'' called it "baffling", given Ranieri's frequent recent dismissals and Greece's loss to the Faroe Islands. Christenson highlighted that Ranieri's good humour would be the antithesis to the short-tempered outbursts of his predecessor [[Nigel Pearson]], concluding: "If Leicester wanted someone nice, they've got him. If they wanted someone to keep them in the Premier League, then they may have gone for the wrong guy."<ref name=pearson>{{cite news |last1=Christenson |first1=Marcus |title=Claudio Ranieri: the anti-Pearson ... and the wrong man for Leicester City? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/jul/14/claudio-ranieri-leicester-city-nigel-pearson |access-date=3 May 2016 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 July 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Ranieri Hiddink 2016.jpg|thumb|Ranieri (left) on the touchline with [[Guus Hiddink]], manager of Chelsea, during a Premier League match]]

Ranieri's managerial debut with the club came in a 4–2 win over [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] on the opening match of the season on 8 August.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/33744669 |title=Leicester City 4–2 Sunderland |work=BBC Sport |author1=Aimee Lewis |date=8 August 2015 |access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref> After the match, Ranieri told the media that he inspired the team to win by giving them motivation from local rock band [[Kasabian]].<ref name=kasabian>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/33834521 |title=Claudio Ranieri uses Kasabian to inspire Leicester win |publisher=BBC |date=8 August 2015 |access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref> Following Leicester's first clean sheet of the [[2015–16 Premier League]] season, which came in the club's tenth fixture, in a 1–0 home win against [[Crystal Palace F.C.|Crystal Palace]] on 24 October, Ranieri attracted further media attention when he rewarded his players by taking the team out for pizza and having champagne.<ref name=pizza>{{cite web |url=http://www.espnfc.us/club/leicester-city/375/blog/post/2683492/leicester-claudio-ranieri-keeps-clean-sheet-pizza-promise |title=Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri fulfils 'clean sheet' pizza promise |publisher=ESPN FC |author1=Chris Wright |date=26 October 2015 |access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref> The strong start of the season saw the club at the top of the Premier League at Christmas, having scored in each of their first 17 games.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34951743 |title=Swansea City 0–3 Leicester City |author=Dafydd Pritchard |work=BBC Sport |date=5 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/dec/14/leicester-city-chelsea-premier-league-match-report |title=Vardy and Mahrez score to send Chelsea packing and Leicester top again |author=Daniel Taylor |newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 December 2015}}</ref> During this run, striker [[Jamie Vardy]] broke the Premier League record by scoring in eleven consecutive league matches,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34953098 |title=Jamie Vardy breaks record for goals in consecutive games |date=28 November 2015 |work=BBC Sport}}</ref> a run Ranieri compared to Gabriel Batistuta's during the [[1994–95 Serie A|1994–95 season]], while Ranieri was his manager at Fiorentina.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11712/10076227/jamie-vardy-likened-to-gabriel-batistuta-by-leicester-manager-claudio-ranieri |title=Jamie Vardy's Leicester goal glut draws Gabriel Batistuta comparison |publisher=Sky Sports |date=23 November 2015 |access-date=20 December 2015}}</ref>

[[File:LCFC lift the Premier League Trophy (26943755296) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Ranieri and [[Wes Morgan]] lifting the Premier League trophy after the 2015–16 season]]

In March 2016, Ranieri's quips once again attracted attention from the media when he stated in an interview that he used an "imaginary bell" in training in order to keep his players focused, by saying "dilly ding, dilly dong";<ref name=bell>{{cite web |url=http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/dilly-ding-dilly-dong-ranieri-reveals-secret-keeping-leicester-their-toes#:LTIrE3YPRILfzA |title='Dilly ding, dilly dong!' – Ranieri reveals the secret of keeping Leicester on their toes |website=FourFourTwo |date=4 March 2016 |access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref> the quote later gained popularity and became a club catchphrase.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/04/leicester-manager-claudio-ranieri-attacks-idea-european-super-league |title=Leicester's Claudio Ranieri: European Super League against culture of football |newspaper=The Guardian |author1=Paul Doyle |date=4 March 2016 |access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref> Leicester's change of form led [[BBC News|the BBC]] to compare the world media attention brought to Leicester by Ranieri with that achieved by the [[Exhumation and reburial of Richard III of England|discovery of the remains]] of [[Richard III of England]].<ref name=titans>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-35842145 |title=Richard III v Claudio Ranieri: How do Leicester's titans compare? |work=BBC News |author=Neil Heath |date=26 March 2016}}</ref>

Leicester entered April at the summit of the Premier League and on 10 April 2016, they clinched a spot in the [[2016–17 UEFA Champions League|2016–17 Champions League]] after a 2–0 away win over Sunderland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espnfc.com/uefa-champions-league/story/2846866/leicester-book-place-in-champions-league |title=Leicester City book Champions League place after Sunderland win |publisher=ESPN FC |author1=Dale Johnson |date=10 April 2016 |access-date=3 May 2016}}</ref> Despite pressure from the chasing teams, Leicester maintained their lead at the top of the table throughout April and entered May knowing they only needed three points to lift the Premier League trophy. Leicester played a hotly contested 1–1 draw against [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] at [[Old Trafford]] on 1 May, earning them a crucial point. This meant Tottenham Hotspur had to win their next game against Chelsea to stay in the title race. After Ranieri's appointment had been questioned in the media, barely avoiding relegation the previous season, and starting the 2015–16 Premier League campaign as 5,000–1 outsiders to win the title,<ref name="lgwin16" /> Leicester City clinched the Premier League title the following day, after second-place club Tottenham could only manage a 2–2 draw against Chelsea, despite leading 2–0 at half-time. This was the first time the club had won the title in their 132-year history.<ref name="lgwin16">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35988673 |title=Leicester City win Premier League title after Tottenham draw at Chelsea |work=BBC Sport |date=2 May 2015 |access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/may/02/leicester-city-win-the-premier-league-title-after-fairytale-season |title=Leicester City win the Premier League title after a fairytale season |newspaper=The Guardian |author1=Stuart James |date=3 May 2016 |access-date=3 May 2016}}</ref> The team's success was described as a "fairytale" and the "most unlikely triumph in the history of team sport".<ref name="lgwin16" /> In spite of Ranieri's previous "Tinkerman" nickname, Leicester consistently played the same line-up under his stewardship, using fewer players than any other team.<ref>{{cite news |title=Leicester City: Facts & figures behind Premier League title win |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36166146 |access-date=3 May 2016 |work=BBC Sport |date=3 May 2016}}</ref> With Leicester, Ranieri reverted to his preferred 4–4–2 formation, which made use of heavy pressing, defensive organisation and fast counter-attacks.<ref name="Ranieri's tactics put his rivals to shame">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/04/30/how-claudio-ranieris-tactics-put-his-rivals-to-shame-at-leiceste/ |title=How Claudio Ranieri's tactics put his rivals to shame at Leicester City |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |author1=J.J. Bull |date=30 April 2016 |access-date=29 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="My tactics, explained">{{cite web |url=http://www.football-italia.net/84100/ranieri-my-tactics-explained |title=Ranieri: 'My tactics, explained' |publisher=Football Italia |date=10 May 2016 |access-date=29 July 2016}}</ref>

Throughout the season, Ranieri drew praise from the media for his good humour and inspirational leadership at Leicester, and for successfully building a winning mentality and a successful team environment, while also being singled out for his tactical awareness, and for frequently taking the pressure off his players.<ref name=titans/> His title success led some in the media to dub him "King Claudio".<ref name="King Claudio">{{cite web |url=http://www.espnfc.us/leicester-city/story/2863907/leicester-city-and-king-claudio-ranieri-praised-by-worlds-media |title=Leicester City and 'King Claudio' Ranieri praised by world's media |publisher=ESPN FC |date=3 May 2016 |access-date=3 May 2016}}</ref>

On the last day of the season, Leicester played at Chelsea, who gave them the ceremonial guard of honour. [[Carlo Cudicini]], an Italian goalkeeper who played for Chelsea under Ranieri, presented him with a special award on behalf of the club, as Leicester finished the season with a 1–1 away draw.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11712/10283546/claudio-ranieri-thanks-chelsea-fans-after-leicester-draw-on-final-day |title=Claudio Ranieri thanks Chelsea fans after Leicester draw on final day |publisher=Sky Sports |last1=Walker-Roberts |first1=James |date=15 May 2016 |access-date=15 May 2016}}</ref> On 16 May, Ranieri was named [[League Managers Association Awards#LMA Manager of the Year|Manager of the Year for 2016 by the League Managers' Association]],<ref name="manager of the year">{{cite web |date=16 May 2016 |title=Claudio Ranieri: Leicester boss named manager of the year |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36308909 |access-date=16 June 2023 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> and on 18 May, he was named the 2016 Barclays [[Premier League Manager of the Season]].<ref name="Manager of the Season">{{cite web |url=http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2015-16/may/180516-claudio-ranieri-claims-barclays-manager-of-season-2015-2016.html |title=Ranieri claims Barclays Manager of the Season award |publisher=Premier League |date=18 May 2016 |access-date=18 May 2016 |archive-date=21 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521055818/http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2015-16/may/180516-claudio-ranieri-claims-barclays-manager-of-season-2015-2016.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was also awarded [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic|Grand Officer of the Italian Order of Merit]] and the [[Enzo Bearzot Award]] as best Italian manager of the year.<ref name="Claudio Ranieri awarded Italian honour"/>