Former Leicester player Ulloa's controversial comments about Ranieri
The former Foxes striker Leonardo Ulloa has stirred controversy with his recent remarks about his former manager Claudio Ranieri. Read on to discover the details of their fallout and the impact it had on Ulloa's time at Leicester.
The former Foxes striker has launched a scathing attack on his manager: here’s what happened between the two.Leonardo Ulloa versus Claudio Ranieri, his manager during his time at Leicester, the team that pulled off a surprise victory in the 2016 Premier League. The former Argentine striker’s comments on the Offsiders podcast shed light on the tension and rift between the two. "As a manager, Ranieri is brilliant; as a person, he’s a disaster. We were in Los Angeles; I had two offers from Premier League clubs that would have doubled my wages and let me play – something that wasn’t happening at Leicester. Because yes, we’d won the league, but I wasn’t playing. So I sat down with him and said: ‘Claudio, I’ve got these two offers to go elsewhere and earn more’. But he replied: ‘No, Leo, I want you to stay with me because I need you. This year we’ll be in the Champions League, the league and the domestic cups; you’ll get much more playing time.’ So he told me they wouldn’t be signing anyone, but on the last day of the transfer window in England – bang – 30 million for Slimani.""So I told him I wasn’t having any of it; I went into his office and he told me he didn’t know about it, that it was a matter for the club. I had a right go at him. He actually wanted me to stay because Slimani and Mahrez were due to leave mid-season for the Africa Cup of Nations. When I realised that, I went to Ranieri and told him: ‘I’ll never play for you again, neither now nor in December when you’ll need me.’ From that moment on, things started to go downhill. It wasn’t Leicester who treated me badly, but Ranieri.I told him I didn’t care; I basically stopped training and started feeling discomfort in my quadriceps. I stuck to my programme with the club but didn’t train. I spoke to the dressing room leaders, explaining that it wasn’t against them or a team issue, but that I didn’t want to play for that manager anymore and didn’t want anything more to do with it.”Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Ulloa's discontent with Ranieri
In a candid interview on the Offsiders podcast, Ulloa didn't hold back in expressing his dissatisfaction with Ranieri, painting a picture of discord and broken trust between player and manager. Despite acknowledging Ranieri's managerial prowess, Ulloa criticized him harshly as a person, labeling him a 'disaster'.
The tipping point
The breaking point in the Ulloa-Ranieri relationship came when Ulloa revealed he had received lucrative offers from other Premier League clubs, offers that promised more playing time and better wages. However, Ranieri allegedly convinced Ulloa to stay at Leicester with promises of opportunities in various competitions.
Broken promises and betrayal
Ulloa claimed that Ranieri assured him of a significant role due to potential player departures, only to witness the club splurge on a high-profile signing on the final day of the transfer window, leaving Ulloa feeling deceived and undervalued. This incident was the catalyst for Ulloa's decision to sever ties with Ranieri.
A player's revolt
Ulloa's discontentment soon spread within the Leicester squad as he voiced his refusal to continue playing under Ranieri's management. This stance led to Ulloa's apparent disengagement from training and a breakdown in his relationship with the manager and the club.
The aftermath
Ulloa's public condemnation of Ranieri sheds light on the complexities of player-manager relationships in the high-stakes world of professional football. The fallout between the two serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of transparency, trust, and communication in managing player expectations and maintaining team harmony.



