BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2016: Leicester do the double with team award and Claudio Ranieri winning coach of the year after Premier League title win
Foxes stunned the world last season when they went from relegation candidates to top-flight kings
LEICESTER CITY did the double at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year with the Premier League champions winning the Team of the Year award and manager Cluadio Ranieri being named the coach of 2016.
The Foxes stunned the world last season when they went from relegation candidates to top-flight kings, guided by the Italian former Chelsea manager and stars like Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante.
When Ranieri arrived at the King Power stadium he landed as something of a laughingstock after being sacked by Greece following a defeat to global whipping boys the Faroe Islands.
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But he made a few subtle adjustments to the team put together by Nigel Pearson and let their counter-attacking football and team spirit run riot.
The squad had been put together on a shoe string – compared to almost every Premier League squad – with super scout Steve Walsh, now at Everton, credited with unearthing most of their gems.
Mahrez and Kante had been kicked around the lower leagues in France and dismissed for being too small.
While Vardy, who is now an England regular, was snapped up for just £1million from non-league Fleetwood.
Ranieri, who beat fellow football managers Michael O’Neill and Chris Coleman, as well and England national rugby team head coach Eddie Jones, said: “I can say only again thank you to my players, the chairman and my staff.
"Of course, without our fans, it was impossible to win the title. Thank you to everybody.”
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Foxes defenders Christian Fuchs and Wes Morgan were pictured posing with the trophy.
And captain Morgan, who recently signed a lucrative marketing deal with the run maker of the same name, said: “It’s a huge honour to receive this award.
"What we achieved was absolutely incredible. No one thought we could.
“It was something that people thought was impossible but we proved it was possible.
“I want to thank everyone behind the scenes at Leicester. A big thank you to our fans too for their loyal support."