To celebrate the 30th season of the Premier League, we are counting down and ranking our top 30 moments in Premier League history and this time Leicester City take center stage.
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That’s right, yours truly, Joe Prince-Wright, has selected the top 30 moments in PL history.
This is not only a huge honor, but also a huge headache. How on earth do you condense 30 seasons of magic into 30 individual moments!?
Well, we did it.
How will our Premier League top 30 moments work?
Before each matchweek from now until the end of the 2021-22 season we will unveil the latest moment, as we count down the top moments in PL history from 30 to 1.
From incredible goals to late title drama and emotional sendoffs to legendary players dazzling awe-inspired crowds, we’re going to celebrate and rank the best moments this wonderful league has produced.
Click on the video above to see number 2, as below we focus on Leicester City winning the Premier League title in 2015-16 in what was one of the biggest upsets in sporting history.
Premier League Top 30 moments: Number 2 - Relegation candidates Leicester City win 2015-16 title after starting the season as 5000-1 outsiders
This was so close to being Number 1 in our list. It is simply one of the greatest underdogs stories in sport. If not the greatest.
At the start of the 2015-16 Premier League season Leicester City were given 5000-1 odds to win the title. They were expected to be scrapping against relegation and only a miraculous late-season surge in 2014-15 (under Nigel Pearson) saw the new boys keep their place in the Premier League.
Claudio Ranieri was then appointed in the summer of 2015 to take over from Pearson and what happened next shocked the world.
Jamie Vardy banged in goals galore (24 in total), Riyad Mahrez tore defenses apart, captain Wes Morgan held the defense together, Kasper Schmeichel was sensational in goal and little-known N’Golo Kante dominated midfields as Leicester’s unfancied squad went on an incredible run under Ranieri. From Shinji Okazaki to Robert Huth to Marc Albrighton and Danny Simpson, journeyman players became heroes.
As for Ranieri, the Italian coach won the hearts of the world as he continued to play down Leicester’s chances of winning the title all season long and catchphrases such as ‘Dilly Ding, Dilly Dong!’ and taking the team out for pizza every time they kept a clean sheet made Ranieri even more loveable.
Leicester sealed the title with two games to spare as Chelsea’s draw with Tottenham won the trophy for the Foxes, as they became just the sixth team in Premier League history to win the title. This was also the first time in their 132-year history that they had been crowned Champions of England.
I was lucky enough to be at the King Power Stadium for most of their home games in the second half of the season and the atmosphere was incredible throughout but especially for the final home game where they hoisted the trophy into the Leicestershire air.
With Ranieri in tears, Italian superstar Andrea Bocelli singing on the pitch before the game and the likes of Vardy, Morgan, Schmeichel and Mahrez dancing around in disbelief afterwards, this was one of those moments you will never, ever forget.
We may never seen another moment like Leicester’s incredible title win in the history of the beautiful game.
Top 30 list
30: Dennis Bergkamp’s brilliant hat trick
29: Newcastle’s amazing comeback from 4-0 down
28: Heung-min Son’s stunning solo goal
27: Thierry Henry’s incredible volley v. Man United
26: Late drama in epic Manchester derby
25: Olivier Giroud scores sensational scorpion kick goal
24: Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira clash in tunnel
23: West Brom’s epic ‘Great Escape’ from relegation
22: Paolo Di Canio’s stunning scissor volley
21: Blackburn Rovers win title on final day
20: Cristiano Ronaldo scores stunning free kick
19: Kevin Keegan’s infamous rant
18: Chelsea win first-ever PL title, first league title in 50 years
17: David Beckham scores amazing goal from halfway line
16: Heart-wrenching Steven Gerrard slip costs Liverpool title
15: Manchester United, Arsenal clash in ‘Battle of the Buffet’
14: Wayne Rooney, 16, scores amazing goal: ‘Remember the name’
13: Eric Cantona scores incredible chip, then delivers iconic celebration
12: Sheikh Mansour buys Manchester City, as new era arrives
11: Alan Shearer breaks Newcastle’s all-time scoring record
10: Sir Alex Ferguson bids farewell, calls time on legendary coaching career
9: Liverpool win first Premier League trophy, first league title in 30 years
8: Goalkeeper Alisson scores dramatic season-saving goal
7: Jose Mourinho arrives in England at Chelsea, names himself ‘The Special One’
6: Liverpool beat Newcastle in all-time classic
5: Wayne Rooney scores incredible overhead kick in Manchester derby
4: Arsenal win title, as Invincibles go entire 2003-04 campaign undefeated
3: Manchester United complete historic treble, win title on final day of 1998-99 season
2: 5000-1 shots Leicester stun the world to win 2015-16 Premier League title