AS Roma manager Claudio Ranieri has urged fans to help with one final push as his side look to leapfrog Juventus into Serie A’s final Champions League qualifying berth on the last day of the season.
Ranieri, 73, received a dazzling tribute in his final home match at the Stadio Olimpico – Sunday’s 3-1 win over AC Milan – which included a tifo describing him as, “A great leader … a true Romanista.”
Ranieri came out of retirement in November and steered his boyhood club away from the relegation zone to the brink of an unlikely spot in next season’s Champions League.
“It is wonderful, because feeling appreciated by your own people is always something marvellous,” a tearful Ranieri said.
“I put my faith in them, because when I arrived, their mood really was rock bottom and they had barely any self-esteem left. We slowly managed to climb that mountain. We put together a 19-match unbeaten run and it was really an important period.”
Roma travel to face mid-table Torino next weekend while Juventus, a point ahead in fourth, are at relegation battlers Venezia.
“We needed your love,” Ranieri told the fans. “I was there among you 60 years ago in those stands. I asked you for help, now we need that final step.”
