Leicester prove you don’t need money to be champions

The world is one dour place, is it not?

News headlines are riddled with incredible social injustices while we have also faced injustices and tough times in our personal lives. Some of us may even be going through a rough patch as I am sitting here writing this article.

The depressing truth is that money seems to reign in this world of ours. While the minority gleefully fill their already fat bellies with riches, the majority of us have to fight our way in life. Unfortunately, for many millions trying to escape war-torn countries, the reality is even grimmer.

Now, I do not intend to lecture you with social injustice but the money making machine that is the English Premier League has recently become a microcosm for the inequalities that exist in this world.

The rich get richer and fill their trophy cabinets thanks to their expensive imports while the rest of the sides remain an afterthought. For years, money has made the notion of an even playing field farcical.

Somehow, however, an old Italian gentleman and his troop of rejects and no-hopes have managed to turn that around this season.

The success story of Leicester City during the 2015/2016 season will be retold for decades. This is not just a soccer side winning a title. This is more than that.

At the start of the season, Leicester were shrugged off as relegation fodder; Ranieri was the clown who contrived to lose against the Faroe Islands. This was the side that had kept themselves up by the skin of their teeth. They had lost Esteban Cambiasso and instead brought in an unknown from France and a 30-year-old Austrian left-back. They were relying on Manchester United reject Danny Drinkwater, Stoke City reject Robert Huth, Manchester City and Leeds United reject Kasper Schmeichel, Championship-quality captain Wes Morgan and the “criminals” Jamie Vardy and Danny Simpson.

Their initial run of form was seen as a temporary purple patch. “Leicester will soon drop off down the table” we were told by the so-called experts on the telly. Nevertheless, the more people doubted them, the stronger they seemed to come out. A side shipping goals was transformed to the division’s best defensive unit as the goals dried up.

Clean sheet after clean sheet followed until the loss against Arsenal in February that was supposed to mark the end of the title hunt for the Foxes.

SEE MORE: How Leicester City’s title-winning season has changed the Premier League forever

Once a laughing stock, Ranieri deserves incredible admiration for the way he guided his side with humor off the pitch but hard work on it. The Italian has showed us that hard work does pay off. Finally, a string of runner-up finishes have ended with the most unlikely title in living memory.

The team spirit of this Leicester side cannot be underestimated. The season started with a pizza-fest and ended with a party at the star striker’s house.

Thousands of articles have been written and will keep on being written on Leicester and I’m sure you have already read some that are much better than this one!

Nonetheless, I write this piece with one message in mind: when the world is bullying you and there seemingly is no hope of success, just shrug it off with the humor of an old Italian “clown” and work hard. Leicester City have shown that hard work does pay off, friendships and good relationships do count and that money really is not everything.

Now that is the real success story of the season.