Guus Hiddink reveals phone call from Claudio Ranieri moments after Chelsea handed his Leicester side title
Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink revealed he received an emotional post-match telephone call from Leicester counterpart Claudio Ranieri following their draw with Tottenham on Monday night.
The Foxes’ crowning as Premier League champions was confirmed by Tottenham’s failure to end a 26-year hoodoo and win at Stamford Bridge, despite holding a commanding two-goal half-time lead.
Ranieri was axed as Chelsea boss in 2004 and replaced by Jose Mourinho but has guided Leicester to a fairytale Premier League title, deposing his former club in the process.
Read more: Leicester can bag £250m from title win
“Just after the game, after the final whistle, I got a call from Ranieri,” said Hiddink. “He called and thanked us for what did, especially in the second half, and I congratulated him for a champion.
“He was [emotional]. I didn’t see any tears because it was not a Face Time conversation, but his voice was trembling a bit. He said thanks five times as the emotion was going up.
“They deserve it. You can be at the top by surprise for half a season or even more but they didn’t implode. There was no tension when they started to smell the title.”
Bad-tempered clash
Hiddink also exonerated Tottenham’s players after a bad-tempered clash, which saw a record nine Spurs players booked and the usually composed Pochettino at times lose his cool.
The Dutchman found himself at the centre of a brawl after the full-time whistle as he attempted to usher away midfielder Cesc Fabregas, an incident during which he appeared to be shoved to the ground.
“We are not either the most beautiful boys,” added Hiddink. “There is frustration at stake when losing the championship. It’s difficult. It was frustration.”