The crown belongs to Leicester's legendary manager Claudio Ranieri, the hand holding the crown belongs
to goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and the finger to defender Christian Fuchs. The place is the King Power Stadium
the date May 7th 2016 and the occasion the crowning of Leicester City Football Club as the 2015/16 Barclay's
Premier League Champions. "Legendary" ?
Leicester City had been in existence for 132 years. For much of that period they had not been in the top division.
Just eight years earlier they were in the third tier of English football (albeit for just one season and left it
as the Football League One Champions). In season 2014/15, with just eight games to play, they were the
bottom team of the Premiership. Manager Nigel Pearson had inspired them to win seven of their last nine
games to reach safety.
But the consequence was Leicester were being regarded as relegation candidates and such was their standing
in the Premiership that odds of 5,000 to 1 were being offered on them to win the title (effectively no chance).
The rest, as they say, is history. Leicester led the Premiership from day one and during the
38 game season were the top team for the majority of the time (though they did "slump" to sixth place just before Christmas).
Nigel Pearson and his team had set most of the foundations for the historic season but it was Claudio who built on them.
The popular Italian was over 63 when he took over from Pearson and his Managerial CV was 'interesting'. Months earlier
he had been sacked as the manager of Greece (European Champions 2004) after they lost to the Faroe Islands at home !
But with The Foxes he did it. Miracle? Well he was born in Rome - the see of the Catholic Church.
The bones of King Richard III of England were found in Leicester City centre in September 2012 and are buried in Leicester Cathedral.
Richard's body had been missing since August 1485. He managed just two seasons in his premier league before he was 'relegated'
at the battle of Bosworth - near Leicester.
Some people therefore may dispute who is the King in Leicester. If one believes William Shakespeare (died April 1616
just 400 years before Claudio arrived in Leicester) then Richard III does not deserve to be the King in the City.
Richard was a very bad man. Ranieri was a very good man.
So Claudio Ranieri was for a time be THE KING in Leicester.
He was sacked on Wednesday 23rd. February 2017. A reign of just twenty months.
King Richard III's reign lasted a little longer.
Photos and script G.H.
1986–1987 Vigor Lamezia
1987–1988 Puteolana
1988–1991 Cagliari
1991–1993 Napoli
1993–1997 Fiorentina
1997–1999 Valencia
1999–2000 Atlético Madrid
2000–2004 Chelsea
2004–2005 Valencia
2007 Parma
2007–2009 Juventus
2009–2011 Roma
2011–2012 Internazionale
2012–2014 Monaco
2014 Greece
2015- 2017 Leicester City
Below are some more shots of Claudio form May 7th.
Yes it was taken on celebration day but during a very
heavy downpour !
Here he is joined by his captain Wes Morgan, who played in all 38 games
of that wonderful Premiership season.