The Foxes are on Claud Nine!

By on May 2, 2016

“I dreamed a dream in time gone by. When hope was high. And life worth living…”

Leicester City have had their Susan Boyle moment, as this incredible season proved the Foxes’ Got Talent! When Boyle first auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent in early 2009, Leicester were resigned in the third tier of English football, playing in League One against the likes of Southend United in what was their first season outside the top two tiers of English football.

Most British bookies, in fact, put better odds on TV talent judge Simon Cowell becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom than Leicester winning the league. However, unlike singer Boyle, second place was never a option for the Foxes this season and they added some Diversity to the top flight elite. If anyone deserves a Golden Buzzer this year, it is Leicester for the miracle they have given all football fans!

Fantastic Mr Fox!

Tom Cruise has nothing on Claudio Ranieri in terms of completing a Mission Impossible, with the Foxes’ title bid far more fantastical than Hollywood could have imagined. Eden Hazard was once again the kingmaker as he scored a late equalizer in Chelsea’s feisty 2-2 draw London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge, sealing the title for Ranieri’s side.

Who would have thought that the club that unceremoniously sacked the Tinkerman in 2004 would, twelve years later, finally help the Italian boss make the leap from being the bridesmaid to the bride. Ranieri’s overcame a dreadful loss to the Faroe Islands as manager of Greece to win his first ever league title at the latter end of his managerial career.

Much like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ranieri incentivized his players with pizza, adopting his King Power Stadium players and training them as ninjas. Having been on top of the table for eighteen weeks, a series of narrow wins in March and April clinched them the title and, most certainly both the Turtles and the Fox enjoyed April (coincidentally played by Megan Fox in the recent film adaptions!).

Their unlikely journey will give them a berth in the FA Community Shield matchup at Wembley at the start of the twenty-fifth Premier League season in August, against the winners of the FA Cup, either Manchester United or Crystal Palace. The Foxes will also be one of the top eight seeds in next season’s UEFA Champions League group stage draw, alongside the likes of Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

Joy Story!

At 5,000-1 odds at the start of the season, many felt placing a bet on Leicester would have been a waste of a pound.

Not, though, the suffering Aston Villa fan and voice of Woody himself: Tom Hanks. The American actor recently claimed that he “put a quid on Leicester at the beginning of the season,” although further questioning on the red carpet revealed that might not be entirely true.

If Hanks did put money on the Foxes at the start of August 2015, then he had more faith than the likes of Gary Lineker. The Match of the Day host and former Leicester striker is a Foxes fan and said at Christmas he would present the first MOTD of next season, on August 13th, in his underwear if Leicester won the title.

Tangentially, Burnley will be joining Lineker on MOTD next season after Sam Vokes scored a header against Queens Park Rangers to send Sean Dyche’s men back into the Premier League. Burnley are currently 5,000-1 odds to win the title next season, anyone fancy a punt this time around?!

House Party for Vardy!

Jamie Vardy, quite literally, had a party, gathering all his Leicester teammates at his house to watch Chelsea play Spurs. After Hazard curled home a stunning equalizer for the Blues, Vardy and friends celebrated the winners medals they will be receiving at home to Everton on Saturday evening.

Left-back Christian Fuchs was filming the gathering on a shaking phone, scenes that will undoubtedly be part of the ‘Jamie Vardy Movie’ — more than popcorn was popping in the twenty-nine-year-old England forward’s home.

Heroes Reborn!

Much of the current title winning Leicester squad are made up of rejects, cast-offs and late bloomers. Danny Simpson and Danny Drinkwater were let go by Manchester United, goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel rebounded back from an unsuccessful stint at Manchester City and Robert Huth used to play for Chelsea.

PFA Player of the Season Riyad Mahrez cost just £400,000 from the French second division and Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year Jamie Vardy was signed for £1 million from Fleetwood Town in May 2012. Leicester’s starting eleven often cost less than £30 million to assemble, far less than Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal’s most expensive players.

N’Golo Kante cost only £5.6 million from Caen last summer and has been a cornerstone in a defense more impenetrable than Captain America’s shield or Iron Man’s armor. Since joining the King Power Stadium, he made his international debut for France on his birthday and even scored for Les Blues against Russia.

Each and every one of the players in Claudio Ranieri’s title winning squad have been Heroes, from new youthful recruits like Demarai Gray to back-up striker Leonardo Ulloa.

Rewrite those history books, because this even beats Sergio Aguero’s 2012 Premier League title clincher for Man City at the very death against QPR. There is now a new City ruling the country…Leicester City!

Homepage photo credit: Ronnie Macdonald, via Flickr [CC BY 2.0]

About Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis can relate almost anything to football and quite often does! You may have seen Richard's previous ideas and work in the BBC Match of the Day Magazine, from 2011 to present. He is a Manchester United and England fan, but has gone to see Leyton Orient play with his O's season ticket in the 2013/14 campaign. Aside from football, Richard has written articles on Doctor Who and studies English Language and Linguistics at the University of Westminster. Aspiring sports journalist.