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The Premier League is widely considered to be one of the most competitive and exciting football leagues in the world. With some of the best teams and players competing against each other, it is no surprise that the league has produced some of the most incredible underdog stories in the sport's history.
From teams who have achieved the impossible and avoided relegation to teams who have won the league title against all odds, the Premier League has seen it all. In this article, we will take a look at some of the best underdog stories in the history of the Premier League.
#3 Wigan Athletic's Promotion
Wigan Athletic's promotion to the Premier League in 2005 was a true underdog story, as they had never before competed at the top level of English football. The team, which was then playing in the EFL Championship, was widely considered to be a mid-table team with little chance of achieving promotion to the Premier League. However, under the management of Paul Jewell, Wigan were able to defy the odds and achieve something truly remarkable.
The 2004-05 season was Wigan's first in the Championship. They had been promoted from League One the previous season, but no one expected them to achieve promotion to the English top flight so soon. However, Wigan started the season strongly and quickly established themselves as one of the top teams in the league.
As the season progressed, Wigan continued to pick up points and eventually found themselves in the promotion race. With only a few games remaining in the season, they were in a strong position to get promotion to the Premier League. On the final day of the season, Wigan secured promotion with a 2-1 win over Reading.
#2 Blackburn Rovers Title
The 1994-95 Premier League season will forever be remembered as one that witnessed one of the greatest underdog stories in the history of English football. That season, Blackburn Rovers, who had not won the league title since 1914, defied the odds and won the Premier League against all expectations.
Blackburn, a team that had spent most of their history in the lower leagues, were considered underdogs when they won the Premier League in the 1994-95 season. They were led by Kenny Dalglish, who was appointed as the manager in 1991. Under his guidance, the team had achieved promotion in 1992 and had finished fourth in the league in their first season back in the top flight.
Dalglish's strategy was to bring in some key players to bolster the team, such as Alan Shearer, who was the most expensive player in the league at the time, and Chris Sutton. These players were able to provide the team with some much-needed firepower, and they helped the team challenge Manchester United, who were the reigning champions.
As the season progressed, Blackburn Rovers found themselves in a tight race for the league title with Manchester United. They were able to maintain their lead at the top of the table and eventually overtook Manchester United to win the league title by a single point.
#1 Leicester City's Dream Run
In the 2015-16 season, the Premier League witnessed one of the greatest underdog stories in sports history as Leicester City won the league title against all odds.
Leicester had only been promoted to the Premier League the previous season, and they were widely considered to be one of the favorites to be relegated back to the Championship. However, under the management of Claudio Ranieri, Leicester shocked the football world by not only avoiding relegation, but by winning the league title.
The Foxes started the season with little expectation, but they quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. They won their first game of the season against Sunderland, and they continued to pick up points throughout the first half of the season. By the time the Christmas period arrived, the Foxes were at the top of the table, and they were being considered legitimate title contenders.
As the second half of the season began, Leicester faced stiff competition from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, but they continued to pick up points and maintain their lead at the top of the table. The Foxes faced some crucial matches towards the end of the season, but they came out victorious in most of them. With only a few games remaining, it became clear that Leicester were going to win the league title.
On May 2, 2016, Leicester secured the title with two games remaining after Tottenham could only draw at Chelsea. The Foxes won the league with a total of 81 points, 10 points ahead of second-placed Tottenham Hotspur. They achieved this feat with a young and relatively unknown squad, with the most expensive player costing £8 million, a relatively low figure for the Premier League.
