One in 5,000: Those were the odds of Leicester City taking home the Premier League title this season. Last year the team faced relegation for 23 straight weeks until they managed to win seven of their nine remaining matches in order to avoid removal from the Premier League. This year they’re going home with a title. This remarkable story is once in a lifetime and one that will last forever.
To put it into perspective, NBC Sports ran some numbers to compare other unlikely events occurring. They determined the Cleveland Browns have a one in 200 chance at winning the Super Bowl, the likeliness of the Loch Ness Monster being discovered this year is one in 200, and Kim Kardashian has a one in 1,000 chance at becoming the next president of the United States.
Coming into the season the team was not favored to make any impact within the league. Neither their manager nor team was anything remarkable and was considered a bunch of “has-beens and wannabees” who stood no chance against powerhouses such as Manchester United or Chelsea. Leicester’s player budget, roughly $60 million dollars was pocket change next to Manchester United’s half billion-dollar budget. None of their players ever even won a trophy (with the exception of one who was on the bench). However, their luck was about to shift.
It began with striker Jamie Vardy. Year’s prior he was playing 3rd or 4th tier fútbol, earning $50 per game. When he signed with Leicester City, he struggled to acclimate into the culture being noted for excessive drinking and needing help to find his way. By the 2015-2016 season, however, Vardy had evolved into a world-class player and broke the record for number of consecutive games a single player has scored in. Previously 9 games, a number many claimed no one would ever even come close to, Vardy broke the record scoring in 11 straight games. He now has a contract with Hollywood to tell his story.
To everyone’s surprise, Leicester City started off strong in their 2015-2016 season, recording 60 goals within the first 29 games. To compare, in their 2014-2015 season, they only recorded 19 goals after 29 matches. The world watched, holding their breaths, as the team drew closer and closer to the top of the table. Finally, after a hard fought battle the team was named Premier League champions, a title well deserved. However, the glory goes beyond the trophy. Riyad Mahrez, a midfielder, was named player of the year, a title voted on by all players in the Premier League. The vote was almost unanimous. Furthermore, Leicester City had four of its players placed on England’s “Dream Team” for the 2015-2016 season. To top it off the club is so happy with the team’s success that each player is receiving his own personal Mercedes compliments of the owner.
In the past 20 years, only four different teams have held the title of “Premier League Champions,” Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City. No team who has placed outside the top four in the previous season has ever won the title the following year. However, Leicester City won more than just a title and a few awards, they won the hearts of fans around the world. Their season will go down in history as the greatest underdog story ever told.
