Pal’s death keeps me grounded
KING SO GRATEFUL
ANDY KING says the horrific death of a close pal will help him cope with the day when he is finally shown the door at Leicester.
The Wales star is the only player to have won the League One, Championship and Premier League titles with the same club.
King says he would love to finish his career with the Foxes but knows that might not be the fairytale ending.
The 28-year-old is having to settle for life on the fringes at the King Power after celebrating 10 years at the club this week.
But he still loves every day and says the memories of a boyhood pal make him ever thankful for the career football has given him.
King (right) said: “I grew up with a friend from school called Dan who wanted to go into the army, while I wanted to be a footballer.
“He achieved his goal but trod on a mine in Afghanistan and died. Whenever I think the going is getting tough, I think about Dan.
“I have lived my dream and he achieved his but how could I possibly complain when things don’t go my way in something as small as football when he has paid the highest price for his country? But I want to be playing and I ® am not naive. Every season millions of pounds are spent to try to bring in the best players. “I would like to stay here but whether that is possible or not we’ll see. My relationship with people here will never be broken and the record I have achieved is there for all to see. “I am massively proud of that and I am not sure it will be done again. Unless a team like Manchester City or Manchester United have to be relegated, like Juventus, and then have to come back up through the leagues.” King, rejected by Chelsea, says his roller-coaster career means he is grateful for everything. “I am in a position where when we come to somewhere like Bournemouth and just get a point, do I go home disappointed? No, no.” King reveals his stay at Leicester was almost as if it was written in the stars, when he went for a trial after being released by Chelsea. “There was a fox walking along the side of the pitch during a trial game,” he said. “Of course I knew Leicester were known as the Foxes, but didn’t put two and two together at the time. Perhaps it was a sign.”