Words cannot do justice to the seismic event that has turned the world of football on its head. Numbers cannot explain the miracle that has defied common sense and made even the most impossible of dreams achievable.

The state that Leicester City Football Club was in at the start of the 2015-16 season, many would have said even that the odds of 5000-1 were kind to them. The side looked doomed for relegation last season with a coach that insisted on strangling opposition players and calling journalists ostriches. Rock bottom of the league on Christmas in 2014, it seemed almost certain that they would be playing in the Championship this year.

What ensued in the final 2 months of the 2015 season was seen as a miracle on its own. The Foxes managed to pick up 7 wins from 9, a better record than Champions Chelsea. The side skyrocketed from 20th to the dizzy heights of 14th. However, this would not be enough to save the job of maniacal manager Nigel Pearson, who found himself unemployed at the beginning of the season. His replacement; Claudio Ranieri.

Claudio Ranieri was seen as the eternal runner up, the title-race bottler. Chelsea, Roma, Juventus and Monaco all failed to jump the final hurdle with the Italian in charge. Failures at Valencia and Inter Milan stained his CV. His appointment to Leicester came after a disastrous 4 match spell with Greece, which saw him draw 1 match and lose 3; the most infamous of which coming to the tiny Faroe Islands, who had not won a football match in 8 years. Ranieri’s appointment at Leicester was, as expected, met with disdain. The common opinion was the Foxes were favorites to go down.

The Premier League was quickly developing a reputation for being a league completely dictated by money and finances. Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea had all invested many millions into their squad and had dominated the league for a decade. Arsenal’s heavily fortified invincibles were the only side out of the trio to win since the turn of the century.

The probability of anyone outside the traditional ‘big six’ of Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool lifting the league title was next to none; anyone banking on the latter two would likely be ridiculed.

Leicester faced 3 wins and 3 draws to start the season, followed by a crushing 5-3 defeat to Arsenal. The Foxes did not let their heads drop; the side stunningly carried on unbeaten into their 18th match before they fell to Liverpool. Once again the fighting spirit returned, with another run that spanned 6 more games. Leicester’s doubters became quieter and their fans chanted louder. Top of the league at Christmas and the Foxes were in dreamland.

They faced a massive trip to favorites Arsenal in what was seen to be a massive league decider. Jamie Vardy opened the scoring, but a comeback from Arsenal following a Danny Simpson red card and a spell of Gunners dominance culminated in a 93rd-minute winner from returning hero Danny Welbeck.

The claims that ‘the wheels would fall off returned. The ‘pressure would get to their heads’ and ‘the poor run of results is finally set to begin.’ The criticisms that had been hurled at them all season had returned in full.

However, the side did not let their heads drop. Pundits that claimed that this side could not handle pressure and adversity were silenced. The same grit, determination and heart that saw them miraculously battle relegation returned. The silky skills of the mercurial Mahrez, the hard work and grit of the uncontrollable Kante and of course the deadly Jamie Vardy fired Leicester back to the top. Centerbacks Huth and Morgan marshaled the side extremely well and withstood the pressure with ease.

Tactically, coach Claudio Ranieri had players perfectly built for the counter-attacking system. A 4-4-2 formation was deployed, with the Foxes sitting in 2 deep lines ready to win the ball back off the opponents to launch it forward. Kante and Drinkwater in the middle of the park were responsible for being the crucial link in this counter system. Needless to say, they did their job superbly.

The ‘forward 4’ of Mahrez, Albrighton, Okazaki and Vardy were completely committed to speed; catching the opponent out of position and executing their attacks with pace, power, and precision. All 4 had the exact skillset to perfectly fit into Ranieri’s system; substitutes Gray and Schlupp interchanged into the first team seamlessly due to their playing style.

Leicester City’s Thai owner and chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha has been a huge part of Leicester’s marketing success in Thailand, with the side gaining popularity over the traditional giants of Liverpool and Manchester United. Being an astute Buddhist, Vichai is reported to take Thai Monks from Bangkok to Leicester, blessing the players and their stadium for future success and prosperity. After losing 2-1 to Arsenal, the side was given what Monk Phra Prommangkalachan called the ‘unbeatable cloth,’ and since then have not been beaten.

Whatever the reason behind Leicester’s success, be it tactical or spiritual, there is no doubt that this story is a once-in-a-lifetime event and everyone involved deserves a massive amount of credit. The stars have aligned for Leicester City, and the sporting miracle is complete.

Gian Chansrichawla