The incredible story of Leicester City's 2015-16 Premier League title triumph is perhaps the most well-known of the past decade. Claudio Ranieri guided a team of 5000-1 outsiders, which had been assembled on a shoestring budget, to glory in his first season at the King Power Stadium. No one could argue that Leicester were not the best side in the country either; they finished 10 points clear of second-placed Arsenal, losing only three of their 38 games.
It was a sporting miracle that arguably even topped Nottingham Forest's back-to-back European Cup wins in 1979 and 1980, Wimbledon's FA Cup success in 1988, and Greece's run to the 2004 European Championship. Leicester got the better of all of English football's super clubs in an era in which money had always delivered the biggest rewards over the course of an season.
Former Chelsea boss Ranieri took most of the plaudits, and rightly so. The lovable Italian shredded his 'Tinkerman' tag by setting the Foxes up in a simple 4-4-2 formation focused on defensive discipline and quick counter-attacks, and did a masterful job of keeping his players' feet on the ground as the ultimate goal came closer into view. He also made N'Golo Kante his first signing at the club, snapping the French midfielder up from Caen for just £6 million, which turned out to be a transfer masterstroke.
However, it was Nigel Pearson, Ranieri's predecessor, who was responsible for assembling the majority of the key players in the title-winning squad. Jamie Vardy, Danny Drinkwater and Wes Morgan all joined the Foxes in 2012, and Pearson brought in Riyad Mahrez, Danny Simpson and Marc Albrighton two years later. Pearson also completed the permanent signings of Robert Huth, Christian Fuchs and Shinji Okazaki shortly before his sacking on June 30, 2015.
Pearson's exit was, in his own words, a "big shock". It is safe to say, though, that the Englishman would not have been able to unlock the full potential of the squad in the same way Ranieri did. If he'd stayed in charge, Leicester might have pushed for a top-half finish, but the magic needed to upset the established order would have been absent.
In the end, an ugly saga involving a sex tape that brought a summer of humiliation to the club and Pearson inadvertently preceded to the most memorable chapter in Leicester's entire 132-year history.
Getty Images SportGreat escape
When the 2014-15 season ended, Pearson thought he'd done enough to extend his stay at the King Power for at least one more year. Much of Leicester's first season back in the Premier League was a struggle, and they were seven points from safety heading into their final nine games, only for the Foxes to win seven of them and beat the drop, ultimately finishing 14th in the table.
Leicester became only the third team to ever avoid relegation after being bottom on Christmas Day, and even secured their Premier League status with one game to spare, getting over the line via a 0-0 draw at Sunderland.
Relief poured out of Pearson after the final whistle, as he told reporters: "When you consider our plight a couple of months ago, to go into the final game with our safety assured is quite an unbelievable achievement. I think the key thing for us even in our darkest moments, there have been a few, the players have continued to support each other and believe in their own ability. That's difficult when people are questioning your integrity. We've developed as the season has gone on. This run has been extraordinary, but we've needed to do it, because a number of sides have picked up form. We've stuck at our job."
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Shortly after the final day of the season, Pearson and the Leicester squad jetted off to Thailand for a 'goodwill tour', with the aim of building a stronger relationship with the club's ownership regime, led by late chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, and the local community. But it ended up being a public relations disaster.
On May 31, 2015, Leicester launched an investigation after the obtained footage of three academy players taking part in sex acts in a Bangkok hotel room, which they had sent to friends back in the UK. The trio involved were identified as striker Tom Hopper, goalkeeper Adam Smith, and Pearson's son James, who was the captain of the development squad.
In a statement, a Leicester spokesman confirmed that the three players had returned to England after attending a "preliminary meeting". They also revealed that Hopper, James Pearson and Smith had apologised for their behaviour, but as more details started coming to light, it became clear that would not suffice.
Getty Images Sport'Racist orgy'
described the video as a "racist orgy", and it quickly did the rounds on social media. James Pearson, Hopper and Smith allegedly filmed three Thai women committing "depraved" sex acts with them, cheering and laughing throughout.
At one stage, the camera was turned on the women as they indulged in sex acts, with one of the men heard using a racial slur towards them. In another clip, Hopper appeared to tell one of the women she was "f*cking minging… an absolute one out of 10". The video eventually ended with Hopper and Pearson high-fiving each other.
The shocking images and racist language prompted widespread condemnation in the British press. Grace Dent of was particularly scathing, as she wrote: "That isn’t about sex, it’s about power. It is about a lovely end-of-season gift to themselves of a few hours spent treating women like a grubby sub-species. It’s about men degrading women, commenting on their supposed ugliness and using racist words against them… And when the camera pulls towards the footballers, they aren’t embarrassed. No, they’re ecstatic to be filmed."
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In the face of a deeply embarrassing debacle, Leicester, who count the Thai tourism board among their commercial partners, had no choice but to respond strongly. On June 17, the club announced they had ripped up the contracts of Pearson Jr, Hooper and Smith.
"The decision follows the conclusion of an internal investigation and disciplinary proceedings, as a consequence of events that took place during the club's end-of-season goodwill tour of Thailand," an official statement read. "Leicester City Football Club is acutely aware of its position, and that of its players, as a representative of the city of Leicester, the Premier League, the Football Association and the club's supporters. It is committed to promoting a positive message of community and family values and equality, and to upholding the standards expected of a club with its history, tradition and aspirations."
Lord Ouseley, chair of anti-racism campaigners Kick It Out, said in response: "Leicester have set the right tone to allow football to assert itself in setting and maintaining the correct standards of conduct to enhance the game's image here and abroad as a source for good. For too long, decision-makers at the top of the game have been reluctant to make responsible and authoritative decisions, as employers, to deal effectively and decisively with incidents of serious misconduct and unprofessional behaviour, as well as applying appropriate sanctions. It is therefore refreshing to see such positive action being taken in 2015 which we hope will set the decision-making pattern for the future."