Ranieri will step down as Roma coach this summer and take a director's post with the club.
After their 1-1 draw with Juventus on Sunday evening, Ranieri said: “I had already stopped last year, then some teams made me offers, but I said I could only get back on the pitch for Roma or Cagliari. I also hoped it wouldn’t happen, because if they called me then it would mean they were going through a rough time.
“When unfortunately Daniele De Rossi left, I thought I could stay calm with Ivan Juric in charge. I have been travelling the world for 35 years, yet I never get time to really see it. Before I die, I want to see what is out there beyond football. I think that’s fair.
“Big Ben is ticking on, and it says time is up.”
On Sunday's draw, Ranieri also stated: “We knew that (Igor) Tudor would bring his mentality, determination and grit, so Juventus would be pushing forward with vertical passing. They didn’t surprise us, they just did it really well. Juventus are a great team and I would bet on them finishing in the top four.
“This is football, once we settled down and started getting out heads above the water, they scored the opening goal. We had created chances before that, but it was good that we equalised straight after the restart.
“Once you realise that you cannot win, it is important not to lose, so we got organised and took home the point.”