Leicester City Win Premier League Title

Leicester City can now be crowned Premier League champions with two games to spare after Spurs failed to beat Chelsea.

Leicester City season position since 2004

Leicester City fell out of the Premier League in the 2003-04 season and even endured one campaign down in League One prior to their top-flight at the start of the 2014-15 campaign when they embarked on a great escape to avoid relegation.

Incredibly 12 months on, they are now champions.

2015-16 – Premier League – Champions
​2014-15 – Premier League – 14th
2013-14 – Championship – Champions
​2012-13 – Championship – 6th
2011-12 – Championship – 9th
​2010-11 – Championship – 10th
2009-10 – Championship – 9th
​2008-09 – League One – Champions
2007-08 – Championship – 22nd
​2006-07 – Championship – 19th
2005-06 – Championship – 16th
2004-05 – Championship – 15th
2003-04 – Premier League – 18th

 

Claudio Ranieri’s Best Quotes

Here, we look at some of the Italian’s most memorable quotes from the season.

1. Ranieri offers his player the promise of pizza before they finally kept their first clean sheet of the season in a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in October.

“I told them, if you keep a clean sheet, I’ll buy pizza for everybody. I think they’re waiting for me to offer a hot dog too.”

2. Ranieri reacts to being told a Leicester butcher – W Archer & Son – had created a sausage in his honour.

“I pay for pizza, you pay for the sausage. I am the sausageman.”

3. The Italian gave his squad bells as a Christmas present to remind them not to slip up in training.

“From the beginning when something was wrong I’ve been saying: ‘Dilly-ding, dilly-dong, wake up, wake up!’ So on Christmas Day I bought for all the players and all the staff a little bell. It was just a joke.”

4. In December, Ranieri compared his side to Tom Hanks’ film character when they were two points clear at the top.

“Why can’t we continue to run, run, run? We are like Forrest Gump. Leicester is Forrest Gump. I give you the headline there.”

5. The Foxes play Leicester rockers Kasabian before their games – with frontman Tom Meighan a regular at the King Power Stadium.

“I told my players ‘when you go on the pitch and you hear the song from Kasabian, that means they want warriors’. I want to see them as warriors for the fans. Kasabian are a fantastic rock band from Leicester and I think the guitar man, Serge, is Italian.”

6. Claudio Ranieri admits he will be the last person to know if Leicester are crowned champions on Monday because he will be returning from lunch with his 96-year-old mother in Italy.

“I want to meet my mother. She is 96 years old and I’d like to go to have lunch with her.”

 

REACTION VIA TWITTER

Leicester defender Robert Huth (@robert_huth) posted: “What a game… makes me look like an angel! CHAMPIONS!!!”

Leicester forward Riyad Mahrez (@Mahrez22) wrote: “CHAMPIONS !!!!! thank u everyone !!!”

Foxes defender Liam Moore (@liammoore93) said: “Love this club love theses boys! Tough season personally but it’s all about the TEAM. what a squad to be apart off #champions”

 

TRIBUTES VIA TWITTER

Multiple Premier League title winner and father of goalkeeper Kasper, Peter Schmeichel: “Congratulations to @kschmeichel1 and his @LCFC teammates for winning @premierleague.”

Ex-Leicester centre-back Gerry Taggart (@Gerry_Taggart): “@LCFC congrats to all for an unbelievable achievement and hopefully changing football for good and the good of the game #fearless #champions”

Full-back Paul Konchesky (@konch3), on a season-long loan at QPR from Leicester: “Absoulte buzzing for everyone involved @LCFC ! Congratulations to all the lads and staff very well deserved! #Champions”

Tottenham (@SpursOfficial): “Congratulations to @LCFC on winning the @premierleague”

Chelsea: “Guus (Hiddink) reports he has taken a phone call from Claudio Ranieri thanking him for how Chelsea played in the second half. #CFC”

Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard (@franklampard): “Up the Chels! Top finish from @hazardeden_10. Huge congrats to everyone at Leicester and particularly Claudio Ranieri. A gentleman who changed my life. #Ranieri #chelsea”

Serie A champions Juventus (@juventusfc), Ranieri’s former club: “Good job, Mr. Ranieri & @LCFC!”

Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli (@FinallyMario): “Leicester city.. champion. Congratulations to the players and to an amazing manager as RANIERI!”

Former Australia spinner Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne): “Well done, Leicester City. You showed all sportsman that dreams & fairytales can come true , if u truly believe, amazing story. Congrats”