Leaving Cagliari but not retiring says Ranieri

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 23 - Claudio Ranieri on Thursday clarified that the fact he is stepping down as Cagliari coach does not mean he is retiring from football, saying he was open to the prospect of taking over a national team.
    "Tonight's match against Fiorentina will be my last game as Cagliari coach and the last as the coach of a club," Ranieri told Sky television.
    "But, as I have said in the past, if a proposal should arrive from a national team, I'd take it into consideration".
    Ranieri announced that he will not stay on at Cagliari next season after the Sardinian side ensured they will remain in Serie A with a game to spare with Sunday's 2-0 win over relegated Sassuolo.
    The 72-year-old started his coaching career at Cagliari in 1988 and took them from the third tier to the top flight in his first stint at the club.
    He returned when they were 14th in Serie B halfway through last season, and worked some of his old magic to lead them to promotion via the playoffs.
    "My journey began (here) in '88. Three wonderful years, then I left," said Leicester City's 2016 fairy-tale Premier League winning coach.
    "After the promotion to Serie A (last season), which perhaps we didn't expect so fast after I arrived in January, it seems right to leave having secured safety.
    "It's a painful, hard decision, made reluctantly, but it's right to leave now". (ANSA).