Chennai: From 5000/1 outsiders to champions, Leicester City completed their fairy tale journey in the English Premier League on Monday — without kicking the ball. Their closest title rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, stumbled to a 2-2 draw at Chelsea to pave the way for the most unlikely triumph in the history of English football for the Foxes.
Leicester, founded in 1884, had never won the top flight title before and the closest they had come was in 1929 when the club finished a point behind the winners. The newest champions in the world’s oldest football league have proved that the underdog can indeed achieve success in professional sport in which money matters most to build a top-class team.
The riches at the disposal of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are so abundant that a Cinderella run in the title race isn’t only unlikely; it’s almost impossible these days. That City bought Belgian player Kevin De Bruyne in 2015 for £50 mn, almost twice the overall outlay of Leicester’s first XI, should put the gulf in resources between the two clubs into perspective.
Knockout tournaments have seen smaller teams go all the way (Denmark at Euro 1992 and Greece at Euro 2004) but the title is the monopoly of big boys in a league spread over 10 months with 38 matches. No wonder the impending victory of Leicester had the world media engrossed, including American companies that are generally prone to ignoring soccer hullabaloo in Europe.
Leicester have sewn up the title with two rounds to spare following a helping hand from Chelsea. If Italian manager Claudio Ranieri galvanised the club with his easy-going nature, forward Jamie Vardy and winger Riyad Mahrez turbo-charged Leicester’s dream run to the summit of English football with their goals.
