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'The Foxes' reign: 20 fun facts about EPL champions Leicester City

Updated on: 03 May,2016 12:12 PM IST  | 
A Correspondent |

With Leicester City creating sporting history by lifting the English Premier League trophy, here's a look at some interesting and fun facts about the Foxes

'The Foxes' reign: 20 fun facts about EPL champions Leicester City

It's one the most surprising turnarounds in sporting history, in one year, the Foxes have gone from being in the relegation zone to being top of the English Premier League.


Leicester City winning the Championship is a feat never achieved in the club's 132-year history.


The team from the English East Midlands and their fans are celebrating having pulled off one of sport's greatest fairytales by lifting the prestigious English Premier League trophy.


As the Foxes enjoy their historic achievement, let's look at some other interesting facts about Leicester City.

1. At the beginning of the 2015-16 English Premier League season, you could get 5000-to-1 odds on Leicester City winning the title. If the team wins the title, it may be the most unlikely successful single event bookies have ever taken bets on. The English bookmakers William Hill also take bets at 5,000 to 1 on Elvis Presley being found alive, Kim Kardashian winning the US presidency in 2020, and Barack Obama playing cricket for the English national team.

Leicester CityLeicester City scarves for sale outside the ground ahead of an English Premier League football match at King Power Stadium in Leicester in April 2016. Pic/AFP 

2. Last year, Leicester City won seven of its last nine games to avoid relegation to England’s second division.

3. Leicester is paying approximately $100 million in salaries this year, less than a quarter of what Chelsea is spending.

4. Coach Claudio Ranieri was so unimpressed by the Foxes' defence at the start of the season that he threw the team a pizza party after it earned its first clean sheet.

5. One of the inciting incidents for this fairy-tale story was the firing of the club’s former manager, Nigel Pearson after a sex video was leaked showing three youth players, including Pearson’s son, James, racially abusing at three women during an orgy in a Thai hotel room.

6. The club, which was founded in 1884, was originally named Leicester Fosse. They used to play on a field near Fosse Road. The name Leicester City was adopted in 1919.

7. Formed in 1884 by a group of old boys of Wyggeston School as 'Leicester Fosse', the club joined the Football Association in 1890.

8. The nickname "The Foxes" is because Leicestershire is known for foxes and fox hunting.

Leicester City mascot
Leicester City's Japanese striker Shinji Okazaki (L) pats the Leicester City mascot 'Filbert Fox' after the final whistle of an Premier League match at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England in APril 2016. Pic/AFP

9. The club mascot is a character called 'Filbert Fox'. There are also secondary characters 'Vickie Vixen' and 'Cousin Dennis'.

10. 'Foxes Never Quit' is the club's motto, which is placed above the tunnel entrance as the teams head out onto the pitch.

11. Up until Peter Hodge was hired after World War I, the club had no official manager.

12. Having won the First Division six times and the Championship once, Leicester City are level with Manchester City on seven and thus hold the joint record for most second-tier title triumphs.

13. They have won the League Cup three times and have been FA Cup runners-up four times, a tournament record for the most defeats in the final without having won the competition.

14. Leicester City have spent just one season outside of the top two tiers in England in their entire history. They spent the 2008/09 season in League 1. Interestingly, they ended up winning the title.

15. Having lost to double winners Tottenham Hotspur in the 1961 FA Cup final, the Foxes were England’s representatives in the 1961-62 European Cup Winners’ Cup, losing to Atletico Madrid in the first round.

16. Leicester City were promoted back to Division One in 1971 and won the Charity Shield against Liverpool that year.

17. Leicester City are one of only two clubs (the other being Brighton and Hove Albion) to have won the Charity Shield despite never winning either the League Championship or the FA Cup.

18. Two of England’s greatest ever goalkeepers made over 350 appearances each for Leicester City. Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton spent 16 years with the Foxes between them.

19. Five Leicester players have been inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame: Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton in 2002; Gary Lineker in 2003; Don Revie in 2004 as manager and Scotland's Frank McLintock in 2009.

Riyad MahrezThis file photo taken on December 05, 2015 shows Leicester City's Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez celebrating after scoring his third goal during the English Premier League match between Swansea City and Leicester City at The Liberty Stadium in Swansea, south Wale. Leicester City's Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez on April 24 became the first African player to be named English football's Player of the Year, as voted for by his fellow professionals.

20. Leicester City forward Riyad Mahrez this year became the first African football player ever to receive the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award.

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