Miracle Leicester City: Where Are They Now?

2015/2016 season, the year of the Foxes, the greatest underdog story that has ever been told. Claudio Ranieri’s squad shocked the world when they won the Premier League against 5000-1 odds. On the 10th anniversary of this incredible run, we’ll have a look at what happened to the Leicester squad that made English football history.

(Image credits to skysports.com)

At the beginning of the 2015/2016 season, Leicester City was heavily considered as a relegation candidate. The Foxes had barely escaped relegation in the previous season and the odds were pretty clear, 5000-1. They started the season well with wins against Sunderland and West Ham, followed by more draws and wins until Matchday 7. Leicester’s first unbeaten run ended with a 2-5 defeat against Arsenal, but their run up until that point was decent and promising. In fact, that was the last time we’ve ever seen the Foxes outside of the top 5 that season. Ranieri’s squad got right back into form after the Arsenal setback. They took points from Man Utd and Chelsea, Jamie Vardy hit his “It’s eleven, it’s heaven!” form and kept it going for the entire season. It’s normal for a mid-table team to stay in the top places in the first few weeks, but Leicester was slowly showing that they were there to stay for the entire 38-week run. The team entered the new year in 2nd place and once they took the lead in Matchday 23 at the end of January, they never let it go. Mahrez’s magical footwork, Kante’s non-stop energy in midfield, Huth-Morgan brick wall and Vardy’s clinical finishing…Leicester’s fairytale was becoming more and more real each week. On a May evening at Vardy’s house, the impossible became undeniable. Eden Hazard’s famous goal, a.k.a “Leicester’s Goal”, brought the tie to the must-win game for Spurs and the Foxes were crowned the champions of England. This miraculous achievement naturally brought all the attention to this squad. Some followed the spotlight and went to bigger clubs, some stayed, but such feats haven’t been reached again by an underdog. Let’s see what happened to the architects of the unbelievable season of Leicester City.

Goalkeeper

Goalkeeper isn’t just the position he plays, it’s his blood. Following the steps of his father, Kasper Schmeichel has written his own story. He joined Leicester in 2011 and had a remarkable 11-year stint with them, becoming a club legend. In the 2015/2016 season, he started every league game, conceded 36 goals and kept 15 clean sheets. The Danish keeper played a key role in Leicester’s championship, kept them alive and provided safety between the sticks, when it was needed the most. He also became popular in the upcoming years with his unique saving technique. Schmeichel stayed with the club until the end of 2021/2022 season, also witnessing the club’s FA Cup and Community Shield victories. After leaving the Foxes, he had 1-year runs at Nice and Anderlecht, now he’s playing at Celtic at the age of 39 and still keeping Denmark’s goal safe.

(Image credits to transfermarkt.de)

Defenders

The back four led by Captain Morgan didn’t have the best start to the league. Despite being able to score goals, the Foxes’ defence was leaking at the beginning. The issue was mostly caused by the balls coming from the sides. Their first clean sheet came at Matchday 10 against Crystal Palace and until then they have conceded 19 goals and scored 17. Some say Ranieri motivated his side with “When we make a clean sheet, I’ll pay everybody a pizza,” which doesn’t seem like a bad offer by the Italian. Over time, Leicester’s defence started looking more solid, especially after Christmas, and they also started contributing in offence. Huth’s brace against Man City and decisive header against Spurs, Morgan’s equaliser in the Red Devils away game proved their ability to clutch, when it’s needed. Robert Huth had such a good season that he was in discussions for a place in the German national team for Euro 2016. Fuchs on the left side and sub De Laet also made goal contributions from time to time. All of the back four of Leicester from the 2015/2016 season have retired. Captain Wes Morgan stayed at the club until 2021, retiring after the successful FA Cup campaign. Robert Huth was the earliest of them to retire, in the middle of the 2019 season, due to injuries and lack of motivation to play. Right back Danny Simpson came to the end of his contract in the 2018/2019 season and since then, he either played short stints for lower-tier sides or was out of contract until his retirement in 2024. Austrian left back Christian Fuchs stayed for another 5 years, joined MLS in 2021 and now he’s back in England, coaching the League Two side Newport County.

(Image credits to tntsports.co.uk)

Midfielders

The dynamo of the champion Foxes, the source of non-stop tempo and sheer magic…Kante was appearing anywhere on the pitch like he had never heard of lung capacity before. He wouldn’t contribute to the scoreboard as much as the others, but he would make his presence felt. Mahrez was showing his great skills on the right side and made sure everyone knew that the ball would end up on the far post once he cut inside. Albrighton and Drinkwater couldn’t shine like these two, but they played their part in the Foxes’ incredible season. This field of Leicester City made moves to bigger clubs after the 2015/2016 season. First, Kante made his move to Chelsea in 2016 and the next year, Drinkwater followed him to the blue side of London. At last, Mahrez was also a blue, but under the light of Manchester’s blue moon this time. Kante and Mahrez added more silverware to their tally in the following years and now they both are continuing their careers in the Saudi Pro League. Drinkwater on the other hand, couldn’t handle his career as well as these two. He spent almost his entire Chelsea career as a loan player until his contract ran out in 2022. He then decided to take a break in 2023 and recently he made his return, playing for Wythenshawe in the North West Counties Football League. Only Albrighton decided to stay and he played for Leicester until the 2022/2023 season. Then he was loaned for a few months to West Bromwich Albion and when he returned from the loan, he decided to retire.

(Image credits to thetimes.com)

Strikers

Clinical, record-breaking, precise…Those are some of the words that can sum up the Leicester offence and the guy who took the spotlight, Jamie Vardy. 24 goals, 7 assists and scoring goals in 11 consecutive matchdays, this red-bull-fueled goal machine had his peak season. Naturally, this performance has been rewarded with international call-ups throughout the season and also with a ticket to Euro 2016 with Three Lions. What makes his story special is that he came from nowhere to be a Premier League champion. He spent long years scoring goals for lower-tier sides like Stocksbridge, Halifax Town and Fleetwood Town. He had to work in a factory in order to provide for himself and in 2012, he took his opportunity to join the Foxes. His early Leicester days were far from his usual form, but over time, he became a deadly striker and played a key role in the Foxes’ championship campaign. Alongside him started the Japanese striker, Shinji Okazaki, most of the time. He was not as flashy as Vardy and didn’t contribute much compared to him, but his experience would make him a decent asset in Leicester City’s attack. Their Argentinian sub Ulloa would also come in handy sometimes, when they needed to break the deadlock or to find an equaliser. After the successful season, there were many rumours about Jamie Vardy on the verge of a big-money move, but his intentions to stay were clear. “Leave Leicester? No way. They wanted me, when no one else did. I’m not going to let them down,” claimed the former England international. He became a club legend, kept riling up the rivals and stayed true to his words until the end of 2024/2025 season. This made him the last player of the title-winning squad that left. Currently, he’s playing for Cremonese in Serie A with 4 goals in 9 appearances. Okazaki also stayed with the team for a few years and then had difficult runs in Spain. He spent the last 2 years of his career in Belgium, then retired in 2024 and now he’s coaching a small club, Basara Mainz in the German 6th Division. Argentinian sub Ulloa had a loan spell at Brighton in the 2017/2018 season, then moved to Mexico with CF Pachuca and he retired at Rayo Vallecano in 2021.

(Image credits to bbc.com)

Manager

Dilly ding, dilly dong! Of course, we didn’t forget the mastermind behind the Foxes’ title run. He was already a well-established manager and Leicester wasn’t his first rodeo in the Premier League. He managed Chelsea between 2000 and 2004, but wasn’t able to win a trophy with them. After a difficult international experience with Greece, Ranieri landed at Leicester post in July 2015 and the rest is history. Newly named “Thinkerman” didn’t make big changes to the squad, he adapted his Italian style to the English side with little changes. His efforts led the Foxes to their first and only top-flight championship and brought the Champions League football to the King Power Stadium. However, his fairytale only lasted 1,5 years. Leicester’s performance in the league was nowhere near in the next season and they were close to the relegation zone once again. Despite going through into the knockout stages in the Champions League, the team's performance in the league and problems with the board brought the end of his Leicester run. After Leicester City, he managed various clubs in France, England and Italy, such as Nantes, Fulham, Sampdoria and Cagliari. Everywhere he went, he brought hope to keep going forward. At some point, he ended his managerial career, but returned from retirement for the last time, when his boyhood club, AS Roma, needed his aid. His role as a coach ended with the appointment of Gian Piero Gasperini earlier this season, but now he has a new role in Roma: Manager and Senior Adviser to the Ownership.

(Image credits to asroma.com)

In the end, Leicester City dreamed big and achieved the impossible almost 10 years ago. Since then, the club tasted both further success and suffering. Nowadays, they are back to be a Sky Bet Championship team. They’re sitting in 15th place on the table, but only 3 points away from the top 5, which shows the intense competition of the league. Although they’re far from their glory days today, their miraculous run will always be remembered in Premier League history. 

Article written by Emre Albas © Emre Albas 2025