In 2014/15, newly-promoted Leicester City won seven of their last nine matches to ensure Premier League survival. However, by the start of the 2015/16 season Claudio ‘The Tinkerman’ Ranieri had replaced Nigel Pearson as manager and the Leicester City was written off by bookmakers, who offered 5,000/1 against the team winning the top tier of English football for the first time in their 132-year history. Indeed, the same astronomical odds were still available on October 6, by which time the Foxes had won four, and drawn three, of their first seven Premier League fixtures and lay fifth, just three points behind leaders Manchester City.
However, the bookmakers soon learned the error of their ways and what followed was widely considered one of the greatest shocks in sporting history. In a truly remarkable campaign, striker Jamie Vardy broke the Premier League record by scoring for the eleventh consecutive game in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the King Power Stadium in November and, in early February, Leicester City became favourites to win the Premier League. By mid-March, the Foxes were odds-on and went on to win the title with two games to spare, eventually by ten points. Vardy was named Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year, winger Riyad Mahrez was named Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year, while defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante and centre-half Wes Morgan were both named, alongside Vardy and Mahrez, in the PFA Team of the Year.