Leicester’s City slickers throw marathon nine-hour title party
Hair-raiser: Fan in blue wig yesterday Ranieri, 64, arrived in a luxury coach. The team, nicknamed the Foxes, started the season as 5,000-1 outsiders and were tipped for relegation.
Ranieri said: “I’m so proud. I don’t know the secret. The players, the heart, the soul and how they play.”
He insisted there was more to come saying: “My message to the fans is to keep going. We want to improve a lot.”
Hours earlier Ranieri had returned to Britain in a private jet after flying to Rome for the day to take his mother Renata to lunch to celebrate her 96th birthday.
Yesterday thousands of fans flooded into the city centre to join the party. Others gathered outside the club’s King Power stadium where supporters jokingly chanted: “We are staying up!”
Some were dressed in Leicester City dressing gowns and pyjamas – the only items left in the club shop. The victory is expected to give the East Midlands city’s economy a massive boost.
Fans said watching their side pick up the Premier League trophy at their next home game against Everton on Saturday will be priceless.
Harry Phillips, 21, a student, said: “Saturday is going to be a party all over again. The city will rock.”
For the players, the celebrations kicked off on Monday night after Vardy invited his team-mates to the Melton Mowbray home he shares with fiancee Becky Nicholson, 33. They nervously watched the TV action as last season’s champions Chelsea took on Tottenham – the only team who could pip Leicester to the title. Chelsea came from 2-0 down to grab a 2-2 draw. The result ensured that Leicester were champions. At the final whistle, the delirious players leapt in the air, hugged each other and chanted: “Champions” – before cracking open bottles of beer and champagne.
Defender Christian Fuchs posted a video online of the moment the celebrations erupted.
Captain Wes Morgan, who is having a special rum named in his honour, was dragged around the floor by ecstatic team-mates.
Later the players, including goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, 29, Premier League player of the year Riyad Mahrez, 25, and Danny Drinkwater, 26, piled into cabs and headed to a nightclub in the city centre. They were mobbed by 2,000 revellers.
Bleary-eyed, the stars began head home at around 4.30am.
A few hours later they went through a light training session before heading for the lobster lunch. On the way they picked up fan Lee Chapman, 29, a postman, to join them because he looks like Vardy.
He said: “They were all taking the mickey out of Vardy saying I was better looking than him.” to