In My View: The Leicester story is bigger than football
Or, if it was £200 I’d be a millionaire thanks to the generous 5000-1 odds bookies were handing out at the start of the season.
I like a wee bet on the football, not that I win much, but it keeps life a wee bit more interesting. I’d never have thought of sticking my hard earned cash on Leicester though.
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Hide AdPutting it all into perspective, this team were the underdog of underdogs and they’ve pulled off probably the most spectacular sporting feat ever in the history of sport – not just football. If Carlsberg really did do football, this would be it.
Leicester were almost relegated last season and only stayed up by the skin of their teeth. They then sacked their manager and brought in Claudio ‘The Tinkerman’ Ranieri, who everybody laughed at.
The bookies even gave short odds he’d be the first manager sacked this season as they were favourites for relegation, not to be the champs.
Leicester’s starting 11 cost around £21 million. Manchester City spent £49m on one player – Raheem Sterling.
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Hide AdOne of Leicester’s star players and PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez cost just £350,000. Striker Jamie Vardy, who broke the Premier League record of scoring in 11 consecutive games, was playing non-league football with Fleetwood Town just a few years ago and was bought for a fee of £1m.
This Leicester story is bigger than football. It is one that teaches us that the unimaginable can be done, we can dare to dream, David can defeat Goliath – several of them in fact – and with hard work, self belief, determination and a little luck, anything is possible.