LEICESTER CITY
WORLD SOCCERWORLD TEAM OF THE YEAR 2016
On May 2, 2009, Leicester City
played Crewe Alexandra on the final
day of the League One season in front
of a crowd of 6,982 at Gresty Road.
The Foxes were promoted to the
Championship as champions.
Seven years later, they celebrated
winning a first-ever Premier League
title following an extraordinary
campaign where everything fell
into place, to the delight of
neutrals everywhere.
Leicester are the first English
champions to winWorld Soccer’s
World Team of the Year award since
Manchester United in1999 and only
the third to win the accolade, along
with Everton in1985.
A perfect storm of factors combined
to deliver the title, while Claudio Ranieri’s
“English attack, Italian defence” tactics
made perfect use of the players at his
disposal – a mix of bargain signings
and “rejects” from previous clubs.
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and
captain Wes Morgan, who both played
every single minute of the campaign,
led resolutely from the back.
AttackersJamie Vardy and Riyad
Mahrez (2015-16 Premier League and
PFA Player of the Year respectively),
missed just three league games
between them, scoring 41 of the
Foxes’ total 68 league goals.
And completing the spine through
the middle of the team – which stood
them in such good stead throughout
the season – was N’Golo Kante, whose
decisive midfield displays saw Chelsea
sign him for £32 million – a fee that
saw Leicester profit almost five times
on their original investment on him.
While the “fairy tale” aspect of their
triumph has been celebrated by many,it is worth remembering that the club’s
Thai owners have provided substantial
financial backing since taking charge in- More than £100m was spent to
get Leicester into the Premier League,
and there was a net spend of £34m on
players during the title-winning season.
Further funds brought in forwards
Islam Slimani and Ahmed Musa during
the summer, and City outshone Arsenal,
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester
City to comfortably qualify for the
knockout stage of this season’s
Champions League.
While Ranieri’s men have taken to
the European challenge with aplomb,
lightning is unlikely to strike twice at
home, with City dropping to14th place
in the Premier League by November.
Nevertheless, Gresty Road now
seems an awful long way away.
John Holmesdale
LEICESTER CITY
The game’s greatest underdogs