Naz Majeed 

There is no way.

No way.

When Claudio Ranieri was appointed as manager of Leicester City in July of 2015, the decision was an odd one, to say the least. This was an experienced Italian who had been labelled a “Tinkerman” during his time at Chelsea and was the manager in charge when Roman Abramovich took over the London club.

The pair spent one season together before the arrival of Jose Mourinho, and his managerial career prior to Chelsea included stints at Napoli and Atletico Madrid, and the period between his dismissal from Stamford Bridge and and King Power Stadium saw him take the helm at Juventus, Roma, Inter Milan, and the Greek national team, which ended in an unmitigated disaster.

And so nearly everyone had bookmarked Leicester City for relegation by the end of the season. Their squad was too weak, having just barely avoided the drop, they had not invested well (who was this N’Golo Kante?), and the manager they had gone with seemed to be a journeyman with little nous and nuance.

They started the season going 6 games unbeaten, with Jamie Vardy scoring in 5 of those. Vardy would score twice in their 7th game as well, a 5-2 home loss against Arsenal, Alexis Sanchez scoring a hat-trick. And then, ludicrously, came another 10-match unbeaten run that saw them win 8 and Vardy score another 9, and break the record for the most number of consecutive games scored in, with an opener against Manchester United.

So Leicester had done exceedingly well, already on 38 points before Boxing Day. People had begun to sit up and notice that they had a decent winger in Riyad Mahrez, Wes Morgan was a solid defender, and Kasper Schmeichel was not just living off the name of his father. Now that they had all but secured their safety, they would ease off and bask in the impressive early-season form that had seen them defy expectations of an ignoble drop to the Championship.

They lost to Liverpool next, and with two goalless draws following on either side of New Year’s Day, it appeared as though their momentum was lost. Leicester City would fall away, while the “real” title contenders would take their rightful place at the summit of the table, Mauricio Pochettino’s exciting Tottenham side being a favourite of many viewers who were not invested in Liverpool or Manchester United, who had Jurgen Klopp and Louis Van Gaal.

Nobody thought then that Leicester could get back to anywhere near the delirium of the first half of the season. Kante was a hard-working runner and Mahrez full of trickery but they did not have the experience, and Vardy was a flash in the pan.

But they were not done.

They returned to winning ways against Spurs, but it took until the end of January for Vardy to get back in the goals, and suddenly it was on.

If you ask any Premier League fan about Leicester City’s title win, everyone will tell you about a specific moment where they started to believe that the fairytale might actually come true. Some will point to Ranieri’s tears at the Stadium of Light in April. Others might reach for Shinji Okazaki’s acrobatic winner against Newcastle in March, and most will say that it was the swashbuckling win at Manchester City in February, a 3-1 win that turned a pipe dream into a work in progress.

For me, the moment was this.

It was my goal of the season, eclipsing Delle Alli’s flick and volley against Crystal Palace, Anthony Martial’s debut dazzler against Liverpool, and Xherdan Shaqiri’s elegant lob against Everton.

It is always debatable how to “rate” goals of varying types, of course, with some preferring a cute finish over a thunderous freekick, some ranking a backheel over an overhead kick, some claiming a team move is better than a solo goal. To me, though, Vardy’s first-time strike against Liverpool encapsulated it all. It required technique and timing, courage and confidence, audacity and artistry.

There is no way, we thought, no, no way. But here they were, doing it.

Jamie Vardy, Leicester City’s fantastic Mister Fox, had scored a goal that was beyond description, a volley (or half volley) that took your breath away, while simultaneously hammering home the very present reality that Leicester City could win the Premier League.

As you began to process the goal that has just raised the roof, you might have realized that they would win the Premier League. It was destiny delivered, a fantasy fulfilled via a striker arriving from Fleetwood, and it was a moment to savour, to commemorate, to remember forever.