Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola reveals the origins of Claudio Ranieri's 'dilly-ding dilly-dong' song

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Former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola has revealed that Claudio Ranieri's "dilly-ding, dilly-dong" song at Leicester is nothing new, with the Foxes boss having used the catchphrase in Italy.

Ranieri recently explained to reporters that he uses the "dilly-ding, dilly-dong" phrase to motivate his players when he thinks they are "sleeping" during training.

The Italian has also used it while giving press conferences to the media, much to the amusement of journalists covering Leicester.

While the phrase has become a memorable part of Leicester's title-winning season, Zola - who played under Ranieri at Napoli and Chelsea - has admitted that his compatriot has used the song for a long time.

"Dilly ding, dilly dong... it goes a long way back, to the times of Napoli. Mr. Ranieri has always been very, very colourful when he speaks to the dressing room," Zola told beIN Sport.

"I remember sometimes Marcel Desailly would act as his translator for the players. It was funny because Mr. Ranieri didn’t realise it, but Marcel used to cut out half of his team talks to make them quicker and more simple!

"His communication, though, has always been good and passionate. The dilly ding, dilly dong, was always a phrase he used in his speeches.

"When I first heard it I knew exactly what he meant. “Dilly ding, dilly dong”… he told me this so many times. Sometimes as a player you just need a wake up call because concentration is so important in football."

Leicester won their first-ever top-flight title in their 132-year history last week, just one year after the club fought off relegation to the Championship.

Leicester chiefs have insisted they do not need to sell any of their star-name players this summer and will instead look to strengthen their squad, but Zola believes that whoever arrives at the King Power Stadium must fully understand the mentality of the club.

"It won’t be easy for Leicester next season," Zola said.

"The players will have a lot to cope with so need to keep their spirit together. Mr. Ranieri knows he has to strengthen, purely due to the extra fixtures, but he needs players who are totally in line with the mentality of the club.

"Italians have never had more interest in the Premier League, with Ranieri winning the title and Antonio Conte coming to Chelsea.

"The Italians love English football. It provides the kind of excitement and uncertainty we are really looking for back in Italy."

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