Ten years ago, Leicester City was at the center of the biggest shock in modern football history: an unbelievable achievement that defied all odds and became part of the legend of global sport. Under the charismatic leadership of Claudio Ranieri, the Foxes clinched the Premier League title with odds of 5,000/1, a triumph that is still celebrated today as one of the most extraordinary moments in football. However, the glory of 2016 now feels like a distant dream, as the club stands on the brink of a dramatic fall that could see them relegated to League One, the English third division, in a decline almost unimaginable for a national champion.
The 2024/25 season may be marked as the nightmare that tarnishes Leicester’s recent history. Following relegation from the Premier League last season — their second since the historic title — the Foxes face the very real possibility of dropping down to the third division, a scenario that has only occurred once in 142 years, during the 2008/09 season. At that time, under the management of Nigel Pearson, the club achieved an immediate return to the Championship, but the present is far darker and more concerning.
Let us remember: Leicester has never had a long spell in the third division. The only occasion was in the distant 2008/09, when, led by Pearson, they became champions of League One and broke several records for unbeaten runs and points earned. The team also nearly secured consecutive promotion by reaching the Championship playoffs, but were eliminated on penalties by Cardiff City.
The story of the 2016 title is even more impressive because it came from a team that, just a few years earlier, dominated the Championship with a squad filled with players who would become memorable in English football: Kasper Schmeichel, Wes Morgan, Danny Drinkwater, Jamie Vardy — a modest investment from non-professional football — and Riyad Mahrez, a young talent little known from France. Their meteoric rise was marked by a nearly disastrous initial season in the Premier League in 2014/15, where they were on the brink of relegation, but managed an epic recovery with 7 wins in the last 9 matches to ensure survival.
The arrival of Ranieri was met with initial skepticism, but the Italian quickly proved his worth. Leicester shone like never before, with Vardy setting an impressive record by scoring in 11 consecutive matches, Mahrez dazzling with decisive goals, and a solid defense led by Morgan and Huth. The moment that confirmed the title was a brilliant victory over Manchester City, where Mahrez scored a goal that will forever remain in history. The team finished the championship with a 10-point advantage, celebrated with Andrea Bocelli on the pitch, in an image that still moves fans.
But while the achievement was a fairy tale, the end of the Ranieri era was no less dramatic. Less than a year after lifting the trophy, the coach was sacked in a shocking decision, following a series of defeats and an unexpected struggle for survival in the Premier League. The departure of N’Golo Kanté to Chelsea and the decline in form of Vardy and Mahrez contributed to this collapse.
Interim successor Craig Shakespeare managed a brief revival, with six consecutive victories, including the historic comeback in the Champions League against Sevilla, but the success was short-lived. Claude Puel, who followed, had a forgettable tenure, with a win rate below 35%, before Brendan Rodgers took over the reins.
Rodgers brought new hope, winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield, and guiding the team to two impressive fifth-place finishes in the Premier League, almost securing the much-desired qualification for the Champions League. However, tragedy struck in 2018 when charismatic owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha died in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium. The loss shook the club, and despite his son Top’s efforts to maintain the legacy, the pandemic and financial difficulties further complicated the situation.
Errors in the transfer market, an excessive rise in the wage bill — which exceeded £200 million, the seventh largest budget in the Premier League — and chronic instability in technical management precipitated the collapse. Dean Smith could not prevent relegation in the 2022/23 season, and despite the hiring of Enzo Maresca, whose departure to Chelsea further weakened the team, recovery attempts were in vain.
Currently, under the management of Gary Rowett, Leicester is engaged in a desperate fight against relegation to League One, exacerbated by a six-point penalty due to violations of financial regulations. The accumulated loss of £180 million over the past three years, financial uncertainty, and the potential disintegration of the squad paint a bleak future for a club that was, just a decade ago, the champions of England.
Leicester City, once a symbol of overcoming challenges and magic in football, is now at a dramatic crossroads, where its glorious past contrasts with a harsh and unforgiving reality. The imminent drop to the English third division is not just a sporting setback but a stark warning about the dangers of mismanagement and instability in modern football. For the Foxes, the challenge is not just to return to the top, but to survive to tell the story that once made them immortal.
This article first appeared on Apito Final.
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