“I’ve watched teams win the Premier League and celebrate ten times and thinking “I’m well away from that” – but it’s happened now and it’s insane”.
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Newly-crowned Premier League champions Leicester City will welcome Everton to the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
“Hopefully in another two years I’ll come back and win it again and Leicester will be Premier League champions again”.
Leicester City was confirmed the Premier League champions on Monday night after nearest rivals Tottenham Hotspur drew 2-2 with Chelsea.
They host Everton on Saturday and will receive the trophy after the game to cap an astonishing season after they were 5,000-1 to win the league at the start of the campaign.
The Italian flew to Rome for lunch with his 96-year-old mother on the day of the match before flying back to England, while his players gathered together to watch as Eden Hazard’s strike ended Spurs’ title challenge.
Despite the difficulty of the task awaiting his team next season Ranieri said: “We don’t need superstars, we need our players”.
– Leighton Baines could make his 350th Premier League appearance in this match.
“It is good, we work so hard and I know all the players, clubs and managers work so hard but only one can win and this year it happened me”.
– Only Ipswich (1957-1962) have won each of the top three tiers in a shorter space of time than Leicester City (2009-2016). Despite losing pride and the league title to their bitter neighbours, however, Sir Alex Ferguson’s response was to invest heavily in star-striker Robin Van Persie and the costly Dutchman inspired United to reclaim their championship the following year.
Champagne was laid on for the media, who Ranieri refers to as his “sharks”, and the City boss raised a toast to the club’s title triumph before sitting down in front of a gather of reporters from around the world.
“It is important to choose very well for the lads, because now, for me as well, the lads are my sons”.
The club’s chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, is reportedly keen to give every one of the title-winning players their own vehicle as reward for their efforts this season. The vice-chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, son of club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha said on Thai television: “We are not selling anyone”.
“The way they’re playing, and the sort of form they’re in, and the spirit around them, it’s still possible to be able to go a long way in the competition”.
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“Yes, one of the best. From the beginning, I felt something special”, he said on Friday at a media conference, at which members of the press gave a champagne toast. I said, “Great, why not”.
