{"id":628889,"date":"2023-09-09T08:26:50","date_gmt":"2023-09-09T12:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=628889"},"modified":"2023-09-09T08:28:51","modified_gmt":"2023-09-09T12:28:51","slug":"leicester-city-fairy-tale-premier-league-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2023\/09\/09\/leicester-city-fairy-tale-premier-league-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It\u2019s Like Finding Elvis Alive\u2019: When Leicester City Defied the Odds and Achieved Their Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In the football history books, there are moments that transcend the sport itself, events that capture the collective imagination of fans worldwide.\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lcfc.com\/history\/honours\/men\/premierleague?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Leicester City&#8217;s Premier League title win in 2016<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0is undoubtedly one of those moments. Against all odds, the Foxes achieved the impossible and etched their name in football folklore, with player Christian Fuchs describing their title win as: &#8220;<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/4544145\/2023\/05\/30\/leicester-city-relegation-title-inside-story\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It\u2019s like finding Elvis alive<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Rise of Leicester City<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Fairytale Season at Leicester City<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Leicester City have spent the majority of its existence in the lower divisions of English football. They were perennial strugglers in the Premier League, often fighting to avoid relegation. The 2014 \/ 2015 season was referred to by many as \u2018The Great Escape\u2019 having secured 22 points from their last ten games to survive what looked like nailed-on relegation. So when the 2015-2016 season began, it seemed another season of struggle awaited the club.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Read more:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2023\/08\/10\/leicester-city-cesare-casadei\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u2018Deal in Place\u2019 for Leicester City to Add Player Compared to Frank Lampard<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Under the astute management of Claudio Ranieri, the Foxes began their remarkable ascent. Known for his charming demeanour, he instilled a sense of belief and unity in his squad. He transformed the team from relegation battlers to title contenders, and their journey was full of thrilling moments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N&#8217;Golo Kante<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">One of the defining moments of the season was Jamie Vardy&#8217;s record-breaking goal-scoring streak. The journeyman striker scored in eleven consecutive Premier League matches, breaking the previous record held by Ruud van Nistelrooy. His pace, tenacity, and clinical finishing became emblematic of Leicester&#8217;s style of play.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Read More<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">:\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2022\/12\/22\/best-premier-league-players-who-never-played-for-the-big-six\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">10 Best Premier League Players Who Never Played for the Big Six<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Another key figure in Leicester&#8217;s success was the mercurial Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez. His dazzling dribbling skills and eye for the spectacular goal made him a fan favourite. His contribution in terms of assists and goals was invaluable as he orchestrated their attacks with finesse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In the heart of Leicester&#8217;s midfield, N&#8217;Golo Kante was a revelation. The French midfielder covered every blade of grass, breaking up opposition attacks and initiating counter-attacks with remarkable efficiency. His tireless work rate and ability to win the ball back were pivotal to the team&#8217;s success.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Cinderella Story<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Leicester&#8217;s title charge was nothing short of a Cinderella story. They consistently defied the odds, defeating more established clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal. The Foxes played with a fearless spirit as if they had nothing to lose. Their relentless determination and unity on the pitch &#8211; were the embodiment of Ranieri&#8217;s philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">One of the defining moments of their title-winning campaign was their 3-1 victory over Manchester City in February 2016. Many considered this game a stern test of Leicester&#8217;s title credentials. They passed with flying colours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Read more:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2023\/08\/06\/leicester-city-push-top-tier-return\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Leicester City Push for an Immediate Return to the Top Tier<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As the season drew to a close, their remarkable journey reached its climax. Their 5000-to-1 odds of winning the Premier League at the start of the season seemed like a distant memory. With two games to spare, Tottenham Hotspur drew with Chelsea, officially confirming Leicester as champions. The celebrations that followed were nothing short of euphoric, both in Leicester and by their fans across the footballing world.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Legacy and Inspiration<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Their 2016 Premier League title win transcended the sport. It became a symbol of hope, determination, and the belief that anything is possible. Their incredible achievement inspired not only football fans but people from all walks of life to pursue their dreams relentlessly. The title triumph inspired countless teams to dream big, and it served as a reminder that football, at its core, is a sport of passion and unpredictability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Photo provided to Wikimedia by Pottercomuneo:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">http:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/User:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pottercomuneo CC by 4.0:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Special:EntityPage\/Q18199165<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the football history books, there are moments that transcend the sport itself, events that capture the collective imagination of fans worldwide.\u00a0Leicester City&#8217;s Premier League title win in 2016\u00a0is undoubtedly one of those moments. Against all odds, the Foxes achieved the impossible and etched their name in football folklore, with player Christian Fuchs describing their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4793,"featured_media":626149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,1829,3],"tags":[4710,173,40],"class_list":["post-628889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leicester-city","category-history","category-premier-league","tag-football-history","tag-leicester-city","tag-premier-league"],"modified_by":"Ricky Carroll, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4793"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/626149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}