Leicester City’s Premier League title win is definitely groundbreaking. In this day and age when money plays a huge role in a club’s success, the Foxes have defied the odds and turned the footballing world upside down.
However, the Foxes weren’t the first team to achieve the improbable. Several others have conquered in the footballing world following a similar pattern of results. Of course, the manner in which Leicester have achieved the feat, beating odds of 5000/1 to lift the trophy is something incredible. But again there have been others who have defied the laws of logic to become champions
Here are 6 remarkable stories of underdogs who overachieved.
6) Deportivo La Coruna – Winners of La Liga 1999/2000
Deportivo are currently a yo-yo club in Spain. They have suffered relegation twice in the last 6 years, both in 2011 and 2013, but now seemed to have settled in the Spanish top tier. The likelihood of them winning a La Liga title remains small.
But in 2000, they defied the odds to lift the most coveted trophy in Spanish football. The minnows beat the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona to claim the number one spot in La Liga. Club president Lendoiro hired manager Javier Irueta with the intention of building a squad that could compete.
Irueta did exactly that and spent money on the likes of striker Pauleta, Brazilian midfielder Emerson, and defender Joan Capdevila. The investment in the squad paid off and Depor enjoyed the most successful period in the club’s history.
They went on to win La Liga that year, beating second-placed Barcelona by a margin of 5 points. Real Madrid only managed 5th that season. But that wasn’t the end of it. The club won 3 domestic cups as well as reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, losing to eventual winners Porto.
Depor haven’t won a league title since and the club’s status has never been as high as it was then. But it will always remain in the memories of their fans.
5) Montpellier – Ligue 1 champions 2011/12
Olivier Giroud might be struggling this season, but 4 years ago he was considered a hero in France. Montpellier were promoted to Ligue 1 in 2009 and their budget was not a very lavish one.
They still managed to finish 5th in their debut season. The club only went from strength to strength building steadily, by grooming youngsters and making smart signings. Paris Saint-Germain on the other hand, were acquired by a billionaire owner and spent huge amounts of money to buy the world’s best.
So in 2011, everyone expected PSG to stroll to the Ligue 1 title, but it wasn’t to be. The small club from the south of France finished top of the French Ligue with 82 points, just 3 ahead of PSG, winning the title on the final day of the season.
The club’s triumph was unexpected, leaving cash-rich PSG frustrated. It was a night their manager Rene Girard would never forget. It was one of the first signs in the modern game that proved you don’t need financial power to succeed when hard work and determination can serve as a perfect replacement.
4) Nottingham Forest – English First Division Champions 1977/78
Before Leicester achieved greatness, a club called Nottingham Forest did the impossible. Arguably one of the most popular and well-publicized story of underdogs becoming champions Nottingham performed several miracles during their time in the top flight.
The greatest manager England never had – Bryan Clough was in charge of that revolutionary team. Nottingham gained promotion to the first division in 1976 after Clough took over the reigns when they were languishing in 13th
The next season he bought Peter Shilton for a record fee of £325,000. The team consisted of players like Martin ‘O Niel, Archie Gemmill, Tony Woodcock and Peter Withe. The team went on to win the League Cup at Wembley and claimed the title after denying the mighty Liverpool by a margin of 7 points.
Clough led his team to European glory as well helping them win the European Cup in 1978 and 1979. Nottingham never won the league again and are now back in the second division.
3) Denmark – Euro 1992
One of the greatest triumphs in European Football was Denmark's achievement in the Euros of 1992. The national team initially were not eligible to play in the final tournament in Sweden after finishing second in their qualifying group to Yugoslavia.
But war in the country meant Denmark were called up for the competition at the last minute after the winners of their group were disqualified by UEFA. Denmark were part of a group that included host nation Sweden, and heavyweights England and France.
The Scandinavians managed to wriggle through their group in second behind Sweden and drew the Netherlands in the semi-finals. The Danes narrowly defeated their rivals in a penalty shootout to reach the final.
Germany were the team that stood between them and improbable glory. The Germans had already won the World Cup and were heavy favourites to win. But Denmark overcame all odds to script an amazing 2-0 win over the World Champions.
2) Greece – Euro 2004
If there ever was an underdog story that was an inspiration to all other underdogs it was the story of Euro 2004. Greece weren’t considered a team that could win the competition let alone qualify for the group stages.
They were up against the odds in every game they played in that tournament. They were favourites to be the one of the first teams to be knocked out of the competition and no-one imagined them reaching the finals let alone win it.
Greece were an example of brilliant team tactics and a defensive unit that was almost unbreachable. After scraping through the group stage, finishing second they were drawn with France, the holders of the competition.
The Greeks beat them 1-0 and then faced the Czech Republic in the semis. They eliminated their opponents once again by the same scoreline. A pattern was emerging and in the final Portugal were still fancied to take the crown. But Greece once again gave a tactical masterclass to lift the trophy in one of the greatest footballing stories at international level.
1) Leicester City – Premier League Champions 2015/16
Finally, we have the team of the moment, Leicester City. Statistically speaking, Leicester’s record-breaking season is the most unlikely in all of sporting history. No team ever has been given odds of 5000/1 and managed to overcome those odds.
Given the team were battling relegation only a year ago it’s quite the fairytale. Claudio Ranieri has won his very first title as a manager with Leicester City. To understand the gravity of that fact he’s managed Chelsea, Juventus, and Roma and was unable to win the league with any of those teams.
At the start of the season, the team were conceding many goals but showed their ability to come from behind on several occasions. But since the turn of the new year, it’s been the defence that has helped the team get over the line.
A story like Leicester's is meant for the big screen but what’s significant about the win is the nature of it. Football today is dominated by clubs with a financial stronghold and teams like Leicester are not supposed to win the league. They have given the underdogs of the world hope that someday even they can achieve what this incredible team have managed.
