Ahead of facing Fiorentina, he said: "I was pleased by the warmth and consideration of the people at my announcement. Why did I decide to stop? Before coming to Cagliari there were two or three teams that looked for me, of leads that didn't materialize. Then when Cagliari arrived I understood why.
"Fate wanted me to close the circle with Cagliari and I said to myself: 'Here I will end my career as a club coach'.
"Should there be a national team, I'm not talking about the Italian one, that makes me feel good I'm going to say yes.
"I hope that whoever comes to Cagliari after me has the same affection that I received. I asked the fans for help because I knew that I couldn't do it alone. They never lost faith in the team even in difficult moments."