Leicester City etched their name in sports history 10 years ago today, when they became the most improbable Premier League champion of the English top-flight's modern era.
On May 2, 2016, Leicester City Football Club won the Premier League. The English Premier League, not one of those other premier leagues. The one with all those clubs at the top with impenetrable history, wealth and talent, and shirts you’re about as likely to see in Peru or Portland as you are in the pub.
Leicester won the league, which is a four-word statement that with no additional information already reads unlikely. Leicester won the league by 10 points, which sounds like a Football Manager achievement. Leicester finished 10 points ahead of Arsenal, 11 ahead of Tottenham, 15 up on Manchester City and Manchester United, 21 in front of eighth-place Liverpool and 31 points ahead of 2014-15 champions Chelsea, which begins to speak to the weekly marvel that took place.
Led by manager Claudio Ranieri, the foxes finished 10 points clear of the pack, with 81 points compared to the 71 of second-place Arsenal. 23 wins, 12 draws and only 3 losses. The Foxes scored 68 and conceded 36, with 15 clean sheets. What looked like a survival mission in August turned into the most efficient season in club history.
Ranieri stuck to a clear plan and a stable XI. The most used lineup shows Schmeichel in goal behind Simpson, Huth, Morgan and Fuchs. Across midfield Albrighton, Kanté, Drinkwater and Mahrez supported Vardy and Okazaki. Their Ratings back then, tell the story of balance: Kanté 7.37, Mahrez 7.35, Fuchs 7.29, Vardy 7.28, Drinkwater 7.23 and Morgan 7.01. It was direct football, fast transitions and relentless work without the ball.
Jamie Verdy delivered 24 league goals and 6 assists in 36 matches. Riyad Mahrez added 17 goals and 11 assists and won PFA Players’ Player of the Year, while Vardy claimed the FWA award. Leicester had two reliable match-winners who decided tight games week after week.
N’Golo Kanté’s engine powered the midfield, topping the league for tackles and interceptions across the campaign. With Drinkwater’s passing range next to him, the Foxes controlled space even without long spells of possession. Huth and Morgan were old-school effective, and the team closed out spring with a run of narrow wins that built those 15 clean sheets. Schmeichel’s presence and Fuchs’ set-piece delivery added steady edges in both boxes.
The team remarkably employed just 23 players during Premier League matches, a clear indication at how a consistent lineup and very few injuries led to their unexpected success.
Leicester City squad 2015/16
Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel, Mark Schwarzer, Jonny Maddison
Defenders: Wes Morgan, Robert Huth, Christian Fuchs, Danny Simpson, Ritchie De Laet, Marcin Wasilewski, Daniel Amartey, Yohan Benalouane
Midfielders: Danny Drinkwater, Marc Albrighton, N'Golo Kante, Shinji Okazaki, Jeffrey Schlupp, Andy King, Gokhan Inler, Demarai Gray, Nathan Dyer, Joe Dodoo
Forwards: Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Leonardo Ulloa, Andrej Kramaric
When it was over, Leicester had managed to impose on the big six and take their trophy with a mere 42.4% possession. They underperformed their expected goals. They completed the league’s second-lowest percentage of passes. But they led the division in ball recoveries, they pressed early, and they countered.
Just as the fairly tale, the spiral has been disastrous. The 10-year anniversary of Leicester’s 2015-16 Premier League title win is also a reminder of how fast football moves. That astonishing triumph was confirmed on 2 May, 2016, when Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur’s infamous “Battle of the Bridge” draw kickstarted the Leicester party at Jamie Vardy’s house.
Fast forward to May 2026 and the Foxes are on a downward spiral, their finances in tatters and League One football awaiting next season. They nevertheless marked the anniversary with a charity match at the King Power.